


An Exceedingly Unorthodox Cinderella Story of Blossoming Youth

by Baye



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Angst, Cinderella Elements, Colorism, Death, F/M, Forced Marriage, Gen, Internalized Misogyny, Mixed Martial Arts, Not set at any particular period of time, Plot Driven, Power Couple, Romance, Semi-Alternate Universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-13 17:53:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 33,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5711599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baye/pseuds/Baye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her dream is to be a warrior for the capital and leave behind her mundane life in the countryside, but when the opportunity to kickstart her career presents itself in the form of a martial arts tournament, Tenten gets caught in the middle of an ancient feud. What is the secret of the cursed Hyuuga Clan? Destiny has reared its ugly hands and plots for the worst.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arc I: Clash at Pearl Moon pt. 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this AN for a reason, please read all of it!
> 
> Before you start reading, I just want to say that this single chapter was started in July 2015 and finished mid-January 2016, nearly half a year later. As a result, I have found that the quality of writing in this chapter changes rather obviously from start to finish (in a positive way). It is 12,000+ words, a length I pretty much guarantee will not be consistent throughout the course of this story's production. A lot of thought has been put into the plot, though, and I estimate that it will be completed in... 2017? 2018? Not even because of sporadic updates, moreso because it is just so damn long, just like the title. 
> 
> That said, I am so endlessly relieved that this chapter can finally be published and will eternally scold myself for hardly writing anymore that a few paragraphs in the summer when I had so much more free time. 
> 
> This is rated at a tentative M because I know that there will be suggestive material, but not if anything explicit will have its place here. You've been warned.
> 
> I would not advise you to read AEUCSBY if you're interested in romance and nothing else. With characters like these two, especially when they start off as strangers, many steps must be taken to get them to finally (fucking) kiss each other and I don't want to skip over any of them. Canonically, I think they have the strongest relationship of trust out of everyone, and Tenten's stance as a more minor character has made that harder to see with what little screen time she has.
> 
> Anyways, I just want to post this and go to sleep. Expect the second chapter hopefully within the month, and if it isn't there by then I'll put my permanent email on my profile so you can yell at me to get it done. 
> 
> Now, please enjoy!

He hadn't ever really seen her until then. Red and yellow decorated her more luxuriously than a queen, her blindingly cerise lips spilling a wonderfully numbing string of ethereal magnificence—ten words to change the world.

It was more than her appearance. Her voice flew mellifluously to his ears, which was strange, because he had heard it so many times before and treated it to no regard as significant as this. It was truly, completely, wholly ineffable, her, her, his breathing was uneven because of her, whom he decided to be the strongest person he'd ever known. How could it be that easy to become infatuated with someone at the blink of eye? She was so perfect at that moment, even the downpour of rain refused to touch her out of some classification of otherworldly divine respect, or maybe he was imagining that, he didn't know, but it ought to be that way.

Her back to him, he heard her say, "Don't worry. This time, I promise, I will protect you."

For the first time in his life, his chest tightened with heartache. A certain peculiar kind of heartache.

He didn't know it was that easy to fall in love.

He was surprised that it had taken him so long.

He hadn't ever really seen her until then.

* * *

i.

* * *

  **April 14th**

* * *

 

Tenten was raised to put 200% effort into every single thing she did. Everything. Washing the dishes, 200%. Weeding the garden, 200%. If there was a fly in her room, she had to stop at nothing in order to slay it as if the poor bug threatened the life of everyone and everything she loved. Whenever she retrieved water from the well, she would go to great lengths to make sure not a single drop fell out of the bucket, else she went back to make up for what was lost.

She was the object of envy for all parents in her small home, the Village of the River Spirit. They all wished that their children could be just as hardworking and dedicated as her. It was a quaint, sleepy little farming community. For all the glamour implied in the name, visitors were often disappointed with the rinky dink attraction. People were miserably lethargic, often too lazy to tend to their harvest or even wash their clothes. They were starved of energy, far too content with the easy life in the unknown countryside. She supposed it was natural that they'd admire her for doing all the work that she did when they could barely muster the motivation to do, well, anything.

But there was more truth to Tenten than the perfect daughter others made her out to be. Firstly, she hated working.

Well, that wasn't the right way to put it. It was more that she loathed the _amount_ of work she had to do. It was purely unreasonable, the extent to which her caretaker made her labor. She was miserable, often fantasizing of the day she could live on her own in a more meaningful way, making a difference in the world.

Her looks weren't so remarkable, not according to the popular opinion that favored blue eyes and light locks, standing with eyes so dark brown her irises blended in with her black pupils and trademark brunette buns to tie the whole thing together. Also, she was tall. Very tall, for a girl at least. At 5 feet and seven and a half inches, she loomed over most adult women like an ivory tower. And her skin wasn't fair or pale white or smooth alabaster like most men desired, but a distinct, tan, latte color, marked by mosquito bites and scars and scratches from the work she did.

She could go on and on about how physically unappealing she thought she was, but that would be a waste of time. For one, who cares? It gets the job done. Secondly, today was her training day and she didn't have the time to dawdle.

* * *

"The grounds look pretty secure, Chouji. Why'd you call me over here?"

Sometimes she took on work in neighboring villages, the reason being most people in her own were self-sufficient and didn't offer jobs outside of their family. This particular "village" of the Fire Rat was a lot more like a town in respect to size and population. It was also much more well off, with a handful of venerable families living amongst it. There was a surplus of wages to go around, meaning a surplus of money to go directly into her pockets, though there was a lack of necessity in the effort as she didn't particularly need money. But she liked having it.

A friendship brewed between her and the heir to the Akimichi Clan. He was over a year below her age, yet still he had taken a certain liking to her and she alike developed a slight affinity for his company. Friendship was as far as things would go, she decided, knowing that he felt the same. Numerous times his mother hinted at how ever so wonderful it would be if she were to marry her son and mother his seven children and numerous times they had both insisted that that just wouldn't work.

"Oh! You're—chomp chomp—you got here earlier than I thought you'd —chomp chomp—be, Tenten." He exclaimed through fish cake after fish cake shoveled into his mouth.

 _That boy sure is unabashed about chewing with his mouth open,_ Tenten denoted in both amusement and disgust. "I was halfway out the door when I received your summoning. But yeah, why'd you call me here?"

She could tell he was hiding something—there was a white box behind him, not very big in general size or width. A delivery job, she guessed. When she wasn't doing security work for the Akimichis, she was running errands.

He put his plate of food to the side. "I just saw this flyer wavering around in the wind, and I think you might want to read it and see if it interests you."

"You called me all the way out here just to look at a piece of paper?" She frowned.

His expression showed sheepishness. "Well—chomp chomp, he took another fish cake—that's not it exactly, but still. Here, take a look."

In her left hand was placed the paper that would change her life, his life, and the life of just about every person she knew and probably everyone in existence if you really think about it.

Tenten read it over very slowly. She couldn't read very well; she was no illiterate, but education wasn't a high priority in her village since there wasn't much use a community of farmers could get out of such a skill. She'd never tell him or anyone for that matter, though.

It was a poster advertising a martial arts tournament for exclusively girls, age 14-18. Now that was a rare find. In her present age, girls were not encouraged to fight. Even in River Spirit, she was scrutinized for her fascination with fighting. The idea excited her; she could finally test her strength with a bunch of other girls, and hopefully make new friends that didn't wear horrendous forest green clothing.

The competition was to be held off in the Village of Pearl Moon at the Hyuuga Estate. Tenten grimaced. That was a considerable distance away from home, farther than she'd ever been. What really made her eyes pop were the ryo signs and the bright words "CASH PRIZE." Anticipation filled her chest and her mouth went dry. It was like a sudden kick in her pulse. This could be the opportunity of a lifetime. With all that money, she could live life in grand luxury, or better yet, afford to move out and stay in another village altogether. No more back-breaking work! No more useless arduous training exercises!

"Wait, Chouji, some of this is missing. The bottom's torn, see?" She noticed, showing it to him.

"Oh, well—chomp chomp—I kind of had to fight a crow for it. But I think it said something about dressing nicely."

A restrained grin floated to her features. The image of Chouji in a struggle with a bird was not one she'd soon forget. That smile soon faded, however, at a certain realization. "Dress nicely? How 'nice' is that supposed to be? You know I don't have fancy things, Chouji."

Chouji shrugged. "I dunno. But you don't have to worry about that. I—chomp chomp—I bought you something."

"You bought me something to wear?"

"You don't have to wear it if you don't want to..." He sounded embarrassed. "But I still want you have it." From behind him he brought out the box and gave it to her, fingers greasy from the food. She began to question whether it was sanitary or not to accept any kind of gift from him, but not wanting to offend, Tenten took it quietly and bowed.

Inside was a Chinese style long sleeve shirt with a white collar and maroon trim. Gold pin clips held the folds together. The pants were alike in fashion, a mix of red and purple with cut out pocket holes. On top of it all she found fingerless black gloves and a roll of white bandages.

"Whoa... Chouji, this looks amazing! Can I try it on?" She asked. He gestured to the room behind him and she eagerly hopped inside. It probably should've made her uncomfortable, getting undressed in a boys home, but she paid it no mind. The clothes were the nicest and most expensive gift she could remember ever receiving. The fabric felt smooth in her hands; was this the silk people sought after so zealously? Within seconds the whole ensemble was on her body, sans the tape because she didn't want to use it up. It was rather loose and baggy, probably a size too large, and it didn't bother her at all. As if she wanted some tight thing clinging to her figure.

"I think it suits you, Tenten." Chouji remarked upon her return.

"Really? I kinda think so too. I really get to keep it? It looks like it costs a lot."

The last fish cake seemed more important to him than her; he focused all of his attention on it and paced his consumption, then licked his lips and answered her. "You like it, right? It's yours to keep."

She bowed a second time, expressing her gratitude, and went to change out of it. From behind the sliding door, she heard him talk.

"Do you need any help with transportation? I know Pearl Moon isn't nearby."

Tenten felt tempted to accept his offer, but she was already in his debt. She didn't need a horse and carriage added onto the tab.

"No, but thanks. I can get there on my own..."

* * *

 

**April 16th**

 

* * *

_Urgh! Argh! Hah! This is impossible!_

"Higher, Tenten! Higher! What if your opponent can fly? Your kick out won't reach them!"

"If my opponent could fly, _NO_ kick could reach them!"

"That is an UNTRUTH! Tenten, you may be in the prime of your youth, but you are still just a spring bud of potential! If you ever hope to blossom, you—"

"—must put 200% into everything. I know, I know." An exhausted sigh swept past her lips. "But this is actually impossible. Seriously, WHY am I doing this? No one can kick that high up, no matter how hard she tries!"

"Impossible? _Impossible_?"

With a bellowing roar Gai bent his knees and suddenly shot himself upwards like the release of pressure from a coiled spring. His legs, clad in nauseating skintight bottle green spandex, pummeled the sacciform object suspended twelve feet in the air as if it were a punching bag. He landed on the floor in an unceremonious thud, a cocky smirk on his face.

Most people would have stared in awe at the man before them and wondered if he was human. Tenten did, in fact, question his biology quite often, with an eternity of evidence to support the idea that he was a demon of energy, or maybe a dragon. But feats like these she saw on a daily basis and were no longer jaw-dropping. He would go to any lengths for the sake of making a point.

It was the same thing every other day, a lesson in overcoming the impossible.

That was the usual schedule, but in wake of her upcoming tournament, she had to deal with her guardian and sensei nine hours straight each day without her day off. Her muscles ached unceasingly and had so little time to recover.

This development was very poorly received by her brother-not-actual-brother Lee. He worshipped Gai and his training methods like a god. To have that precious thing taken away from him for a month was like losing his entire world. Gai quickly lifted his spirits in a long-winded speech about self-sufficiency and independence that ended in a tearful hug, knees on the ground, wailing each other's names. The two drama queens were the men she spent 90% of her time with. Tenten was pining on her heels for the time when these days would end.

* * *

 

**April 20th**

 

* * *

Tenten stared at the gray bag on the floor with unwavering contempt. _Take that, you useless woolen sack of nothing._ Rapid puffs of air flew away from her mouth. She dropped to her behind, outstretched aching legs, throbbing toe joints, supporting herself with her arms.

Gai stood behind her, looking proud with a slight semblance to smugness. He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. She smiled faintly.

* * *

 

**April 24th**

 

* * *

She quickly dove to the left, ducked, resumed her stance, ducked again. He was holding back, she knew he was, and still he was so fast. Gai was a never ending offense, strike, strike, kick, punch, the best she could do was evade them by a hair. That was the lesson—evasion. So long as she could avoid every attack from an opponent, Gai reasoned, she could never be defeated if her stamina lasted long enough. Both knew it wouldn't be that simple, but the value in the idea remained.

"Agh!" Tenten cried out as a strong kick collided with her side. "Shit..." She cursed, dropping on one knee to clutch the tender area. Her breaths came out hard, she was long past exhaustion. That was going to bruise for certain.

And still, Gai didn't stop. He rushed towards her again with his fist raised, aimed at her face and she sluggishly tried to rolled out of the way—it was a second too late. The shriek that came from her lips could be heard even through the thick wooden walls of the dojo where they lived. Consciousness was slowly being lifted away from her body. Like a sensory overload, the pain she endured all over her body threatened to overwhelm her, and she nearly gave in, if not for the threat of another lecture and a twice as grueling exercise guaranteed for tomorrow hanging over her head. Tenten propped herself up on her arms with unsteady trepidation, biting her lip. It hurt so much. She could not see the need for Gai to hit her so hard. Her opponents wouldn't be any older than 18. It would be impossible for them to pack that much force behind a hit.

When she was back on her feet, resuming a defensive stance, Gai smiled at her effulgently, white teeth blinding her senses. That big, fat, tanned, calloused thumb was shoved in her face. In any other situation she would have been repulsed. Instead, she defeatedly sighed. At least she'd accomplished the impossible.

* * *

"Tenten! Tenten!" At the sound of her name coming from an all too familiar voice, she glanced upwards from the river behind the dojo where she bathed.

There weren't really any boundaries between herself and Lee when it came to their bodies. She didn't see him as a male and he didn't recognize her as much of a female either, which is why she wasn't so startled when he came running to her in nothing but a short, short towel around his waist.

"Shall I wash your back for you, my youthful sibling?"

"I've got it, Lee. Wash your own back."

"Okay, I will!"

He was really so over excited about everything. It wasn't healthy.

As they washed themselves, conversation flooded from his mouth. Lee was physically and possibly emotionally incapable of shutting himself up—things just thundered in his brain and flew to his mouth and he couldn't hold himself back from blathering about anything in the world.

"But Tenten! I am very happy for you, and also a bit jealous!"

A sigh left her lips. "What are you talking about now?"

"My youthful sibling, you are so lucky! Not only do you get to train under Gai-sensei's superior tutelage, but you get to display the results of your hard work in only a week! I am so envious, I do not know what to do!"

When she looked at him, she saw that he was shaking, his back facing her. Her expression softened a tad. It wasn't easy to discern the changes in his emotions—he was so loud and open about how he felt about things, the tone of what he'd just said was the same as he would say "Today, I will do 100 push-ups!"

"Lee, believe me, I would love to let you take over his lessons. He's relentless, and he doesn't know when to stop."

And he chuckled, slightly somber. "You do not know how lucky you are, Tenten. Can you truthfully say that you have not improved your skills immensely since you started training more seriously with Gai-sensei?"

"Well..." She considered this. "No, I guess not."

"Gai-sensei is amazing. He takes care of us, and even trains us so that we may become as strong as him someday. For a person like that, more than anything, isn't all you want to do make him proud?"

"Lee..."

"I will make sure that I can prove myself to him someday. So you as well, Tenten, must win the tournament for our most generous sensei!"

_I'm also trying to win because of him, and you too, Lee_

Minutes later, she wrapped her towel around her body and went back inside the dojo, drying off her skin and hair.

_But I will. I am going to win. For myself, for Gai-sensei, and for Lee, too. I will make them proud._

* * *

 

**May 1st**

 

* * *

The journey to Pearl Moon proved to be the most exhausting experience in her life, and it had nothing to do with the daunting distance itself.

Shockingly, it wasn't because of Gai-sensei or Lee, either.

They ran into an innumerable amount of obstacles. In one instance they came across an old woman with a sprained ankle, and because she was not comfortable being carried by a male, Tenten had been the one to carry her up and down a series of unavoidable hills. Lee offered to carry her with the woman on her back as well, and then Gai said that he would carry all of them on his back so that they could be a traveling totem pole. The image was so horrifying it gave her the motivation to continue on for half of another mile.

After that, they discovered that some bitter idiot had severed the bridge ropes connecting it to the plane of land where they came from, so they had to climb all the way down (it was about 10 feet deep), cross to the other side, and climb up on the other side without proper climbing gear—just large knives and more rope.

And because the gods above had decided that they— _she_ —hadn't been put through enough for one day, a chipmunk had freaking snatched the flyer out of her hands, the flyer she needed for admission (what was that about Chouji fighting a crow for it?) and ran off. They wasted over two hours trying to retrieve the damn thing, which by that point had become a crumpled dirty mess. It was more or less recognizable as what it once was; she could only pray that it would be accepted, or else all the effort be for nothing.

These problems occurred sporadically over the next two days, which was actually not a bad time. Gai-sensei the Energy Demon had set the bar at a day and a half. Lee claimed they could make it in one day. For regular people, it would take four days, so even with the snags in their schedule they did well.

Pearl Moon turned out to not be the hustle and bustle type of environment that Fire Rat was. The population was higher by a hundred or so, but the atmosphere was less suffocating and more tranquil. The buildings were mostly white and none were outstanding. In an instant, Tenten could feel her head clear, her nose fill with a redolent aroma. She almost wanted to join the group of meditating women she saw in front of a pond. They were fighters, Tenten just knew that they were, and maybe meditation had some positive effect on their skill.

Gai-sensei exuberantly informed them that there was a flower known only to grow in Pearl Moon, the Pearl Moon flower for which it was named after. Apparently, the pollen that it gives off has soothing effects on the human body, soul, and mind. Tenten decided that this might be the kind of village she could live in once she moved out. It would be a stark change from her current living conditions, where she was constantly toiling to keep her mental equilibrium in check.

It was worth noting that everyone she saw had pale skin and dark hair, and they all seemed rather uptight. Snobbish. Genteel. She caught several "looks" being cast their way, probably because the villagers were so interested in the foreigners that had come to visit them. Her group _did_ stick out like an elephant in a haystack—and that is to say, they did not blend into the crowd one bit. Gai and Lee for obvious reasons, but she was quite strange-looking herself. Her skin tone was darker, her language coarser, her hair not so terribly well-kept as she realized it ought to be. The women here were more dainty than she had been when she was 12.

A day before the tournament, Gai-sensei had been merciful. Even he acknowledged that they had endured a lot, so he gave her the option between rock climbing (which she'd done enough of for one week), a beauty spa visit (what for?), or a hot spring (the obvious choice).

They separated at the entrance for males and females, warning he and Lee to _behave_ because there might be natives in the bath who would judge them and if they got their group kicked out of Pearl Moon for doing something unseemly and weird she would literally annihilate them. She went on for three minutes about the things they absolutely could not do, such as talking to anyone or posing or cheering about some youthfulness or whatever. Their golden rule in public was, "If you wouldn't do it at a funeral, don't do it now." Lee was confused by her instructions, because wouldn't it be forbidden to undress in front of other men and be naked in hot water at a funeral as well? His response was a hopeless, wordless facepalm and the dirt kicked up by her shoes as she stalked off.

Tenten kept her hair the way it always was, except this time it was a little tighter and kept the stray hairs at bay. A towel covered her chest to a few inches down her thighs, and she proceeded to the water in the back. On her way inside, a woman bumped into her shoulder. Within a quick glance Tenten could tell she was very pretty, elegant even, sporting a petite body and long, glittery black hair. The girl bowed politely, saying nothing, and moved forward.

 _They're so classy. And... and perfect. River Spirit people are nothing like that._ She thought, a sense of inadequacy trickling into her awareness.

Two more women strode through the doorway with towels alike around their breasts, except this time, they went out of their way to avoid touching her. That was the way it appeared, anyhow—there was too much space to necessitate moving that far away. What reason would there be to avoid her like that? Had she disturbed some sort of custom in Pearl Moon that she wasn't aware of?

"Ah! … Damn it." Tenten gasped—the band holding her right bun intact snapped, sending her hair to lazily droop over her face. It must have been tied too tight, damn it.

Quickly she hurried to the cubby where her bags were, the cold of the hollow vicinity was giving her goosebumps, and searched for a spare rubber band. But then her shoulders pricked up, she could hear a voice, two high pitched voices crawling into her eardrums like ants creeping up her skin. A strange, uncontrollable urge in the pit of her gut made her want to hear what they were saying. Something told her that she should listen.

Her personal integrity betrayed her as she slid past the wall of cubbies separating one side of the changing room from the other. It was good enough at that distance, she wouldn't go any closer or gods above forbid, she'd get noticed.

"... here for the tournament."

. _..!_ A light bulb blinked in her head, remaining silent. _Are they.._.

"I thought it was exclusive to our village only. How could we hand off our Prince Neji to some foreigner?"

_Tournament? Foreigner? They're... not talking about me, are they?_

"That girl is not suited for him at all. Sister, did you catch sight of her legs?"

"I _know_. They are so mannish and unsightly. No one would desire such a beast of a wife." Giggles bounced around the walls. Tenten frowned.

_Are they?_

"Both of you, shut your mouths this instant." A third, more mature voice boomed, nearly causing her to trip over herself. "Who raised you to talk in such a way? Mother certainly did not."

_So now there's three of them. It must be those girls I saw at the entrance to the spring. Wonder who's saying what..._

"You'd should know better than to underestimate your opponents. I'd task to see either of you recover from a kick by those legs."

Sounding wounded in unison, "But sister..."

"Quiet. Let us leave before you debase yourselves any further."

Footsteps, gentle as they were, were coming in her direction. Tenten's heart panged with vigor while her body froze. Of course she couldn't stay there and try to act nonchalant, but she couldn't run anywhere either! She half-tiptoed, half-sprinted to her bags and rummaged around, wanting to appear occupied as the girls rolled around the corner and, many footsteps later, seemed to exit the establishment entirely.

Finally, she relaxed. All over her were aches and irritated joints ravishing her body. She needed that onsen ASAP, or she'd be too stiff for any fighting tomorrow.

 _Speaking of the tournament, all of those girls must be entering, too._ Tenten understood. _They don't look so tough. But what's this about a prince? What's that got to do with anything? I feel like that's important, like I don't know something that I should... And are my legs really that bad? They look fine to me!_

"So much for being classy," She grumbled aloud, at last lowering herself into the hot spring.

* * *

"Sensei! I cannot wait until the day where I may show my talents to the world!"

"Patience, Lee! Your youth will soon have its chance to shine, but now is Tenten's time."

Camping was most definitely not an option in this village, she had refused the suggestion as soon as Gai-sensei had brought it up. While Tenten had nothing against camping on its own, coming into the obviously conservative Pearl Moon and sleeping _outside_? On the _ground_? They'd think they were neanderthals.

Actually, it made her giggle a little bit. Would they be flabbergasted, spitting and sputtering? Oh gods, if the people heard Lee burp, or worse, _fart_ , they might faint. That would be a laugh.

Tenten scowled at herself. Gai-sensei's sense of humor was rubbing off of her.

So they rented a room at an inn for one night. The caretaker seemed reluctant to let them use his facilities for anything, but they were paying customers. He relented regardless.

They got one room, two beds. It wasn't decorated, white walls all around and hard oak floor. There was a small bathroom with no sink and a miniature furnace that could be used for cooking. Still, it was in no way shabby; for a cheap motel, there weren't any scratches on the floor or chipping paint, and that was more than could be said for her hometown. Pearl Moon obviously kept high standards for themselves.

Gai-sensei brewed spicy curry in the pot, using ingredients he had brought with him from home. Lee ravenously drooled behind him, his stomach gurgling like that of a starved man. Tenten rolled her eyes, preparing the rice.

But soon, she could understand Lee's desperation. Having traveled for days, it had been long since real food had entered her stomach. The gloriousness of a big 'ol plate of cooked meat and vegetables and spices stewed with rice, the smell of the dripping brown sweet gravy, swimming with flavor and wafting a delicious heat to make her feel warm all over… yeah, she was delirious. And she was ready to eat.

With her trusty spoon, Tenten dove into the meal immediately, taking a big spoonful of rice and curry in all of its glory. She shivered with satisfaction.

… And then she began to shiver with something else.

The gods forsaken concoction squirmed down her throat, leaving peppery dits of fire in its wake. Her cheeks blazed with red. A tear crawled to the corner of her eye. No intelligent thought wandered to her mind lest it be incinerated by the spices conquering all of her senses, she could hear her tongue disintegrating and feel the prickles of peppers in her stomach. And obviously, the taste. Whatever merit garnered by the actual flavor of the food she couldn't detect—because the spiciness was positively overwhelming. Her hand flew to the cup of water faster than the eye could see and downed it like the fate of the world depended on it.

And it did nothing. She might as well have thrown a thimble of water on a forest fire.

"G—Gai-senseiii..." She breathlessly panted, fanning herself. "Did you... m—make the curry... spicier than u—usual...?"

"Why, of course, my summer petunia! The spicier it is, the luckier! It is my secret tongue-tingling gut-churning super spicy curry of overflowing youth!"

Tenten coughed and gagged, clutching her burning throat. "B—but... Lee!"

Upon a glance of Lee, Gai-sensei realized that he was foaming at the mouth and his eyes were rolled to the back of his head. His skin was of a glowing pinkish tint, his whole body lolling against the wall. Lee was the picture of moribundity.

"Lee! Lee! My precious student!" Gai cried. "Oh, no! Speak to me, Lee! Answer me!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... OH, LEE! I'M SO SORRY!" He bellowed, tugging Lee into his arms. He raucously sobbed, unleashing a flow of tears and snot over his shoulder. If Tenten weren't on the verge of death herself she would have chastised him to stop acting like a child. She reached across the table to swipe both of their drinks—forgetting her manners—and swallowed them. That helped a tiny bit; she wasn't clawing at her throat in agony anymore, an improvement, though her tongue was still felt like it was incinerating.

While they sorted out their skit, she would wash up and go to sleep. All preparation that could be made had been, and no tomfoolery would get in the way of an uninterrupted eight hour sleep.

* * *

 

**May 2nd**

 

* * *

Hyuuga Estate was impossible not to notice. There it was, standing exactly 15 feet above the ground in the rightmost corner of the village, a magnificent shinden-zukuri that exemplified minimalism. White and brown all around, defined by necessity. They didn't even have a little lake or pond like most aristocratic families did. In the place where one would usually be, there was a large, white tile platform lined by red paint and a series of tall, stair-like structures circling it, presumably for an audience.

After seeing the line of her competitors, her confidence grew. Like the three girls from the hot spring, they were all so petite—the tallest one in sight couldn't have been more than 5'4". Each painful training session after the other had begun to feel so unnecessary...

The man at the entrance seemed reluctant to let her group in. Obviously because they were "different," and also because of the issue with the flyer. He asked her why she was entering.

"Um... same reason as everyone else. I want the prize." Was her response.

He regarded her even more scrutinizingly after that. But they were let in and she was given the contestant number "18," so it didn't matter.

They all had to be separated before she went to the stage, bringing about even more crying and jubilant cheering from Gai and Lee. Embarrassment did not begin to scratch the surface of her humiliation.

"DO IT, MY MOST HONORABLE AND YOUTHFUL SIBLING!"

"REMEMBER WHAT I'VE TAUGHT YOU, TENTEN! OVERFLOWING YOOOOOOUTH!"

"OVERFLOWING YOOOOUTH!"

"OVERFLOWING Y—"

"For the love of the gods, be quiet!"

She quickened her pace to get away from them as soon as possible, red seeping into her cheeks. On the inside, just a tiny bit, she did appreciate the support, however loud and mortifying it was—but did they have to be so obnoxious?!

Tenten stepped onto the 20 by 10 foot arena with a little more self-assurance in her steps. Really, with the unyielding power and energy of Gai-sensei and Lee running through her, how could she lose?

An official of some sort worked to get all the participants in numerical order. Her black "18" landed her not too far away from the front, where they had the girls lined in rows of ten, columns of 5, spaced an arm's length away from each other. On her right was a girl who appeared to be younger than her, though it was probable that she fell under what Tenten coined as the "Pearl Moon" effect and was much older and simply looked like she was 12. That got her thinking, wasn't it possible for older women to enter the competition if they didn't look their age? No questions had even been asked of Tenten about that; they'd just let her in with her name and her hometown. Any kind of security check was minimal—in a fancy shmancy place like Hyuuga Estate, why wouldn't they be more careful letting strangers inside? That was awfully unsettling...

Another man with long dark brown hair walked onto the arena stage, his back to the contestants. All the girls seemed to straighten up, so she followed suit. He must be important. The audience, too, was paying close attention.

"I am Hyuuga Hiashi. I welcome you all to my estate. It is my honor to host this tournament so that we may see the talent and skill that exists within our youth." The man bowed. His voice boomed with strength and certainty. There was no way to not be drawn to every word that left his mouth. "An 'inconsistency' has been brought to my attention, and that we are more restricted on time than I had thought, meaning that we haven't the time for pleasantries."

Murmurs wandered about the room and in her group. She found it a bit inconsiderate that he couldn't reveal what this "inconsistency" was, especially when it would affect their fight.

"First, I shall explain the mechanics of the tournament. Each fight will be between two people. They will start at the center of the arena and separate once told to begin. They will fight until one is unconscious, forfeits, or the time limit of ten minutes has elapsed, where we will decide the victor based on the level of skill displayed. It is possible for neither to advance if we deem them unworthy, even if one is defeated."

 _Oh, that's interesting. So I might need to show off a little bit in order to move forward._ She nodded to herself.

"There is no limit to the style of fighting a person can use. However, we do not permit the usage of weapons of any kind. Disobedience will result in instant disqualification." He deadpanned, sounding grave "Disqualification is also possible if a competitor falls out of the red lines surrounding the arena floor. Furthermore, we retain the right to judge whether a fight is progressive or not, meaning that if two opponents rival each other, we may put a stop to the match early. This is why we do not advise any of you to hold back."

The Hyuuga man turned around to face them on his latter few words. Tenten sucked in her breath. By his voice she'd assumed that he would be a stolid, rigid-looking person, but she was wrong. In the shape of his eyes was the shadow of something sinister. Something dark. Something that made her freeze.

Her heart stopped. For a second, just a moment, his pale, purplish eyes landed directly on her and they stayed there. It was a thousand year standoff between the two of them where the Earth spun and neither moved and the bone chilling ice of his fix bore into every facet of her being.

The arena was gone and the village was gone and she was at the edge of a cliff. The sky was dark, the air unbreathable, and an all-encompassing terror brewed that she could feel to a molecular degree. She could see snow and a hollow deathly chasm behind her and Hiashi was there, devoid of warmth, devoid of soul, coming closer, extending his palm to her forehead. They were five feet apart. Her brain sent the message to move, to run, to attack, to jump, to do _anything_ and nothing worked. Not even her voice. Not even her eyes could stray from his wide, evil grin, and the sinister aura maliciously emanating from him, suffocating her, burning her skin.

A malignant chuckle slithered out of his throat. "It was foolish of you to return..."

**GUHHRRAASSSH!**

Her last sight was a fanged beast above her head, prepared to pounce. And then everything went dark.

She was back in the arena. She sucked in gallons of air for all she was worth hyperventilating, erratically gasping to gulp in even more. No one was on the stage anymore, no other competitors, only her and the confused, annoyed staring audience and Hyuuga Hiashi.

_Hyuuga Hiashi!_

"Number 18,"

_Wh—what the hell..._

"Number 18,"

_H... how on earth did that just—_

"Number 18." Hiashi bellowed, enunciating each syllable with successive severity. "Get off of the arena, or you will be removed from the estate by force."

"...!" She was stunned dumb and speechless. He was back to himself, no strange voice or crumbling cliff, though his eyes were just as steely. She couldn't even process what he'd said, what she was doing, but she got the feeling that she didn't belong where she currently was and dazedly hurried off the platform.

It took over 10 minutes for her to come back to calm down. By then a couple fights had passed (none of which she'd paid attention to), winners declared, some not declared at all (he had really meant it, not letting the unskilled advance). Putting herself back in the mind of the tournament wasn't easy; how could she put her all into a match after going through that? Whatever it was. She couldn't have imagined it. It felt so real.

Remarkably, Guy and Lee had the sense not to scream for her when it was her turn (probably Guy-sensei's doing. Lee couldn't have kept quiet on his own). The audience had been very quiet, which wasn't a good thing in Tenten's opinion, but that was just another quirk to attribute to the "Pearl Moon" effect. Even for something as basic as a watermelon eating competition, people in her home village would have been screaming at the first bite.

Her opponent was called Myokoboku Hieko, number 8. She was your average Pearl Moon citizen, sleek black hair, small body, porcelain skin. Nothing special. Her bangs shielded her eyes, bewildering Tenten. How could she see what was going on?

They started off close in the center of the arena, facing one another—as close as they could get, anyway. She was a foot taller than every single competitor there. The attendant repeated the rules from before and had them bow to one another. And then they separated.

Sliding into her stance, Tenten made her body light on its feet. Like a termite, the image of Hiashi killing her was still gently, furtively gnawing away at her sanity. But she couldn't let that get to her. She couldn't let that hold her back, she couldn't. Nothing would.

"Begin!"

_Here we go!_

"..."

"..."

...

...

_... Nothing's happening..._

Hieko hadn't moved a muscle.

Unlike Lee, she was not typically one to initiate a fight. It was simply a stylistic preference; some would say getting the first hit in was advantageous, but for Tenten, preparing to defend herself and then a strong physical retort worked best.

_Well, I'm not afraid to get things going. For real, this time, here I go!_

She rushed at her opposite with her arms stringing behind her back and her feet flying forwards. Hieko stiffened, anchoring her small self to the ground. Tenten jumped in the air just before coming too close and swiftly twirled over her head, landing at Hieko's backside. Her adversary turned around and ran at Tenten with her flat palms outstretched for attack. Tenten jumped out of the way instantly, only to dodge and duck and dodge again at the onslaught of bulleting palm attacks.

Tenten intercepted Hieko's forearm with her own and shoved it out of the way, throwing off her balance. Seeing an opportunity she quickly formed a fist and punched her in the gut. Hieko cried out like a tortured animal and cluttered in a heap to the floor. The sound felt ugly and harsh to Tenten's ears. And then the official clapped, and the match was over. After about 68 seconds.

It occurred to Tenten a while after the fact that these girls were basically small children of about 12 years, especially in comparison to herself. Meaning that a punch, her only offense during the entire fight, which she would estimate as having the same force she might use to maim a grown man, was...

_In my defense, I'm supposed to show off. They specifically told us not to hold back! But… still… that doesn't make it entirely okay. She must be in a lot of pain. I'll be more aware next time._

Predictably, she was chosen as the victor. Hieko was helped off the arena by an attendant, dignified and silent, not acknowledging Tenten in any way.

Tenten was unstoppable.

Her second match had, remarkably, come to a faster conclusion than the first. A concise _chop_ to the back of Honodeki Jyujie's neck and _thump_ , she dropped. And Chiya Asahe forfeited the instant they were announced as opponents, bringing about a wave of hushed disapproval from everyone in the crowd. That, Tenten didn't understand. Was she so scary that the humiliation of giving up was a more appealing alternative to fighting?

One match remained.

"Number 18, Tenten of the Village of the River Spirit, and number 40, Kobashigawa Sayomuhime of the Village of Pearl Moon. Enter the arena."

They sauntered to their opposite ends of the platform and walked towards each other to the center circle.

After the episode with Hiashi had taken its toll and blown over, Tenten was not stupid enough to completely ignore every match that did not involve herself. She could discover strategic information by paying attention, such as knowing who was a threat, catching onto weaknesses, seeing what tricks each had under her sleeve, how long it took before someone became fatigued—all of it was important. That wasn't the kind of skill Gai-sensei could teach, being observant. In a nothing town like River Spirit, one learns to watch and observe on her own.

And yet, she could not even _remotely_ figure out Sayomuhime. Her fighting style was plain, it was same palm attack thing that every other girl had used. She wasn't very fast, she didn't have outstanding reflexes, and she didn't appear to possess an unyielding determination with a fortitude like solid steel as Tenten did. But she had won every round thus far; that didn't happen with mediocre skills and luck—not against people her _own size_ , an actual challenge.

"Wait. Are you… I saw you at the hot spring…" Tenten said slowly. It was the eldest sister that had defended her.

She seemed surprised. "You recognize me on a glimpse's width alone? I am humbled."

"Well… hi again."

"I welcome you to our village, stranger of River Spirit." Sayomuhime curtsied, a gesture Tenten was unfamiliar with. "I apologize on behalf of my sisters for speaking ill of you. It was of poor sport."

Tenten hid her surprise that Sayomuhime knew she had been eavesdropping. "Yeah, well, that doesn't exactly matter right now. We're gonna be fighting in a second."

"Yes. And I know that you are skilled, beyond our differences. I cannot hold back, I see." She lowered herself into a stance, palms facing Tenten.

"Great." She affirmed. "I wouldn't want you to. Let's go."

At the signal to begin Tenten jumped backwards—the other girl had rushed and gone for her chest. She caught up and forced the heel of her palm into Tenten's abdomen and went for her shoulder next. She was swift. She was unlike the other competitors—her attacks _hurt._

Holding back wasn't an option for her, either. Now that pain and exertion were concerns she doubled up her defensive tactics. Block, block, block was on her mind. Tenten made to jab the princess in the chest. The girl shucked down to the ground, ducking, and instantly came back up with another palm. Tenten smacked away her wrist and shouted as she kneed her in the stomach. Sayomuhime groaned and coughed, gasping for breath. She quickly retreated to a distance away, wavering as she returned to her stance. They stared at each other briefly, sparks flying.

Running at her, Tenten raised her leg above her opponent's head and wrought it down. But before it could make contact, she felt a strong pressure in the back of her knee. Sayomuhime narrowed her fingers and successively stabbed them into various points along her leg. Tenten was stunned by the crippling pain, a numb yet radiant series of acute electrocutions flashing beneath her flesh. A broken, cracked yelp erupted from her mouth. She thudded to the ground on her butt. The immediate pain faded quickly, leaving a lingering, stinging sensation in the assaulted area, like hundreds of needles gently prickling upon her skin.

"Oh, _gods_ , straight dead _ticks_ , holy cow _du—cks_ ," Tenten cursed under breath, a favorite expression back home. She realized that Sayomuhime must have been hiding this ability, as Tenten had analyzed every match and didn't see _anything_ like that. "What did you just do?!"

"I have attacked your pressure points, Tenten-san. Hundreds exist all over your body, and I have trained myself to memorize the precise location of each one." Sayomuhime explained, still recovering from the attack before. "Consider yourself blessed from above that I haven't the Hyuuga blood within my veins, else your limb would be of no use at all."

 _That's insane…!_ She gasped. _There's no way I can take another one of those!_

Gradually, Tenten worked herself back up on her feet, hissing through her teeth. Her leg still stung, but Sayomuhime told the truth. She could still move it well enough.

Both were injured and steadily offset by their opponent's strength. She didn't know how much time remained in the match, but she knew that nothing she'd done was as impressive as Sayomuhime's abilities. Knee in the gut versus crazy painful pressure point poking thing? It wasn't even a contest.

Narrowing her eyes, she decided that she would break the standstill. Tenten sucked in a breath and vaulted herself in the air, ignoring the strain of her leg. Sayomuhime mimicked the move, but she couldn't jump as high. Tenten flew half a foot above her head, smirking at the brief splay of panic surfacing her opponent's features. More show-off points with the judges for her.

And then Sayomuhime stretched her arms and took hold of Tenten's ankles, evoking a shocked gasp from her. She was ripped from the air and roughly tugged down to just below the princess' level, lucky that the difference in size made it impossible for her to be dragged down any more than that. Sayomuhime stabbed her along her midriff a few more times with her pressure point technique and with a final cutting prick sent her soaring. Back facing the arena floor, Tenten was crashing down, limbs flailing, heart racing. She was going to land outside the arena tape and be disqualified!

Pulsing was her blood to her heart to her brain. What could she do, what could she do?! Seconds separated her from defeat!

Sayomuhime was graciously landing, coming down from the air, but away from Tenten and within arena boundaries. Thinking of nothing else she could do, no better resorts, she reached and seized and brutally gripped the cloth of the other girl's robe, then spun and pulled her away from safety. Three feet above ground, Tenten groaned as she threw her higher into the air, shifting her weight with the momentum of pulling Sayomuhime pushing herself in the opposite direction, and inside the arena.

"I'm in!" Tenten exclaimed to herself, placing a flat palm on the arena floor, holding up her entire body upside-down. As Sayomuhime was coming down, Tenten remorselessly swung her leg at her, bone meeting body, a jagged shriek so loud echoed throughout the area, the audience as silent as ever. Walking on her hands, Tenten spun and spun, kicking her as many times as she could to end it all by flipping to her feet and axe kicking Sayomuhime to the ground. The solid _THUMP_ and a sharp yelp was impossible not to hear.

"Stop!" The referee shouted as he rushed to the platform. He cast an indecipherable glance at Sayomuhime and examined Tenten, who was huffing and puffing. Wild eyed, she snapped her head around and stared at him listlessly, panting, beating heart an earthquake that shook her trembling arms and legs. "... This match is over."

"O—over?" Tenten said in a quiet, breathless tone that surprised her as it left her lips, the adrenaline beginning to disappear.

"Im… impossible," Sayomuhime uttered with strain, painstakingly bringing herself up from the ground. Her perfect black hair was mussed and frazzled. "It cannot have been more than six minutes…"

He nodded. "Six minutes exactly. That is not why the match is over."

Without a word of explanation more, the man turned around to leave. It looked like he might have been hurrying to get away before Hiashi came to approach the both of them, some kind of vague expression plastered on his features.

Apprehension and wariness swirled inside Tenten. She remembered the cliff. The logical side of her brain said Hiashi would not hurt her,had no reason to hurt her, not in front of his guests. She was scared because she didn't know what would come of her final match. What if she lost "points" or was fouled for grabbing Sayomuhime's clothing? What if she had touched the outside of the boundaries without noticing, or just plain lost for not being as good a fighter? It was impossible to predict what he would say.

"I congratulate you both on what was, by far, the most apt display of ability and skill this tournament has seen." Hiashi declared to them and the audience in quite a dull tone, considering the weight of the compliment. Sayomuhime bowed, and Tenten repeated the movement.

"Tenten. You are a stranger in this village, and your fighting style is foreign to our people." Facing away from her, he pronounced himself scoldingly to the section where losers spectated. "I am grateful for this. Now, they have gained some exposure to a style besides the gentle fist, and will train to become more well-rounded."

Wisely, she chose to say nothing. Technically, he hadn't said anything nice… that must've been a bad sign.

"Kobashigawa Sayomuhime. You embody all the qualities of a pupil who perfectly reflects the honor of the Pearl Moon name. Your strength, your technique, your intelligence, both surpass every standard for your age."

If it were possible to gush over someone in an emotionless voice, Hiashi deserved an award. Tenten internally guffawed, a line of sweat curling down her chin. Her heart steadily began to slide down, down, down her chest like a sticky dumplings sliding down a wall after being thrown. Anger and irritation, too, left tickled flecks in her veins. So Sayomuhime was a blessing from the heavens and Tenten was an alien with a weird way of fighting. Nice.

"... However," Hiashi followed in that deep, authoritative voice that could make mountains move. "Today, that is irrelevant. I could see that the two of you are almost evenly matched, and I haven't the time to prolong the fight. That is why I have decided to end it early."

Sayomuhime brightened. Tenten slackened.

"That said, I emphasize that you are _almost_ evenly matched. One of you possesses a quality that I have not seen in any of the competitors today… and that person will be the one to win the tournament."

Hiashi guided them to the center of the arena, him in the middle with each of them on either of his sides. Only then did Tenten realize the enormity of the audience. Staircases circling the platform up to about 12 feet, it resembled a miniature coliseum. There couldn't have been less than at least 500 people!

"Now, I ask you to raise your head…"

She held her breath and bit her lower lip, staring at the ground with the widest of eyes. Tenten was all too deathly aware of the sudden silence and the tension, it made her want to burst of her skin and demand the result. Her harsh breaths seemed to be the only thing she could hear, coupled with a metronome heartbeat roaring in her ear.

_This is it…_

"... Tenten, of the Village of the River Spirit."

Before she could react, everyone in the arena caught the jubilant, hazardous outburst of one Rock Lee, which went something along the lines of, "YES! TENTEN, I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT! YEEAAAAAH!" before being hurriedly silenced by sensei.

Her eyes and mouth opened wide. All the tension in her body eased like the untying of the tightest knot in the world, or the long xylophone roll of stiff spinal joints cracking in succession. Pride, elation, and warmth poured into her heart and pooled inside until it was full.

For once, (at last), the audience clapped, and in spite of the fact that it was the most pitiful thing Tenten had ever heard she bowed with her heart swelling up as if it were a warm balloon in her chest. There was a certain someone clapping a fraction too _loudly_ and _rapidly_ in a manner about as unquestionably out of place as the sun in a midnight sky, but even that minor annoyance was a penny to the wealth of pride swirling to her head.

"Yes! Thank you, thank you!" Tenten cheered and bowed humbly. And she might have flashed a peace sign, but she deserved to be a little bit haughty with the odds of bias working against her. Truth be told, if a competition were to be held in her home village and some outsider that was twice her size had won, she would be ticked off, too.

"Tenten," Hiashi started, readily stiffening her posture. "The—"

"How can this be…"

"—prince will be here to personally—"

"How can this be…"

"—deliver your prize. There, he is—"

"HOW CAN THIS BE?!"

Tenten was quick to stop Sayomuhime's leg from swiping her neck clean off, tightly gripping her ankle.

The princess wrenched away her stolen limb and glared at Tenten with the most hateful, revolted, coal black eyes she'd ever seen.

Tenten guarded herself, stepping backwards. "The fight's over! What is your _problem_ , Kobashiga—"

"Do not _DARE_ to taint my name with your horse lips. You are legions below me."

Various gasps floated from the audience, but no one attempted to silence her. Her body looked as anxious to fight as it had at the start of their match, and her eyes never left Tenten, boiling her as if she were the lowest of the low, the dirt at the bottom of the barrel, the _dog shit_ on a new pair of shoes. It made her want to take a step back and crawl into a hole, reassess her being and escape to the opposite side of the planet.

"Hyuuga-sama, I beg you, _please_ , explain to me why it is that I, the fruit of the Kobashigawa family, must suffer such humiliation. I am loyal to the village and I am loyal to your clan! She does not even know of your legacy!

"It should be I that is victorious! My blood is rich, and hers spoiled! I would be valleys, mountains, _WORLDS_ more valuable to be wed into the Hyuuga than this revolting skunk of a woman!"

Her eyes darted to the crowd, scanning them with readiness, daring anyone to object her.

"You scold me for speaking so dirtily, but it is on all of your minds! By the most elementary of expressions, simply look at this creature! Bearing the skin of a fielder, the bulk of a male, the mouth of a degenerate countryside fool. She deserves not to be a _woman_ , much less to marry the prince, whom I have loved since the day I laid eyes on him! I will not allow this swine to steal away my opportunity to be with him. I will _die_ first!"

Tenten was speechless—she was just so _flabbergasted_ —forced into a stunned silence. Even if it wasn't friendship, after what she'd said at the hot spring, Tenten would have at least thought that she had Sayomuhime's _respect_ , the same respect that had been delegated to her and she'd been charmed into thinking was reciprocated.

Betrayal festered in her gut. Did everyone in this village think these awful things, too? Were those "looks" of disgust, not awe? In River Spirit, no one looked at her that way. No one made her feel like she didn't deserve to exist amongst their kind. No one felt an inch of the entitlement Sayomuhime had just wrung from her lips. And no one had the _right_ to feel that way, either.

Tenten had enough. She refused to be disrespected and just listen to Sayomuhime say whatever she wanted about her, not when she was a damn well decent human being who hadn't done anything wrong!

"You have no right to be here, Tenten of the Village of the River Spirit. Forfeit, and save yourself the—"

"Be _QUIET_." Tenten roared, stomping her foot down. Whatever scornful glare Sayomuhime had thrown her way she gave back tenfold, threatening to scrap with her again if that was what she wanted. "You're the disgusting one, Kobashigawa! Do you have any idea what I've gone through to get here, how hard I've trained, and you say I don't belong here? I had no say in the way I look, nobody does, and if you insult— _discriminate_ against anyone for that, then you're just a horrible human being!

"I would get it if you hated me for being from a different village, or for beating you just now. But I just don't get you. You of all people, an _amazing_ fighter, must know how hard it is to be a girl in this world and prove that you can do anything the boys can. Girls should stick together! Not take them apart because some look girlier than others!"

The remnants of her rebuttal echoed in silence, giving it time to sink in skin-deep. Tenten breathed heavily through her nose and eyed Sayomuhime, who looked uneasy, still standing like she was going to strike any second. Bitterness was clear in her face, a stale, acrid glare unyielding.

"I..."

Her posture slowly relaxed, sliding from martial stance to normality. And then the princess dropped to the ground and bowed to Tenten for all to see, her face on the ground.

"Forgive me, Tenten of the Village of the River Spirit. I had... I had no place to speak to you in such a way, and I offer a thousand apologies. My mind was… clouded by my envy, and I became a vile, vindictive spirit. I do not know what could have possessed me to say such things…" Her voice rocked like a bottle in a stream, calm, but shaken, as though she really was shocked at the words she'd said. "I am sorry. You are clearly the one who deserves to wed the Hyuuga prince."

Tenten had just been put on a roller coaster with no seat belt. Could this day get any more weird?

"... Raise your head, Kobashigawa. I'll take the apology, not this."

She offered a hand to her former opponent, siding with reconcile. More than likely, they were never going to meet again. She wasn't one to hold grudges either, and as sudden as the princess' outburst arose had her repentance came. Tenten just couldn't believe that Sayomuhime was a bad person.

They shook hands and bowed to each other, settling the friction. Tenten felt good, though she knew now that Pearl Moon could never be her future residence. Not in a society where people thought like this.

"One last thing," Tenten remembered in the midst of their handshake. "You keep mentioning this prince and marriage. Does winning mean I'm invited to some royal wedding, too? I only wanted the cash prize."

Sayomuhime gave her the strangest look in the world, like she'd just grown wings out of her ears. "... Do you mean to say that you did not—"

Her hand went limp.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

She fell to her knees and collapsed on the ground.

Tenten never got to hear the rest of her sentence, nor did she ever hear Sayomuhime speak again.

Immediately, she saw the culprit. Hiashi hovered over the body of the princess with his flat palm raised sideways, his features hard and tough. By the position of his body it appeared that he'd only given a chop to the back of her neck, a basic move for knocking someone out.

She blinked. Something dark purple and brown had met her eyes before being eclipsed by his long, loose sleeves. And it moved.

Bewildered and shocked, Tenten bent to the level of the fallen girl and examined her face. "What did you just do to her?!"

"It was time... for Kobashigawa Sayomuhime to be silenced." Hiashi declared rather darkly. His voice didn't sound like his own, different from what she'd heard before. Shivers crawled down her spine like a long-legged spider, and she could only stand when Sayomuhime was lifted by medics and taken away.

_I really don't like how he said "silenced." Something isn't right here… what was Kobashigawa going to tell me? And if he wanted her to be quiet, why didn't he shut her up when she first insulted me?_

A small woman arrived onstage as Hiashi exited. Her hair sat atop her hair in a white, simple bun, and wrinkles leathered her skin. She was the only person in the village Tenten could immediately tell was a senior, a telltale sign being the dry oak cane with a head fashioned into the face of a bird, and gold and pearls decorated the base. It was clear that the woman had some high standing in Pearl Moon, so Tenten bowed in respect, awaiting what she would say.

Inconspicuously, the old woman washed over Tenten with her eyes, judging her, and then she nodded to someone, perhaps herself, before facing the shinden-zukuri.

"Summon the Prince!"

Every single person in the surrounding audience stood and bent over, hailing the entrance of the Prince. Tenten merely looked in the direction where the woman had called, craning her neck in anticipation of the reportedly grand, divine heir.

In robes of white, a boy her age emerged from the building with a world of awe upon him. The wind chose to whisper a tentative gust at that moment, gently pushing his long, waterfall hair of mahogany hue behind him. He was coming, a distinguished saunter carried him to the stage, and he didn't look at the crowd or even spare them a glance. The prince aimed his eyes of pearl and dried lavender at Tenten with no sign of expression at all, none for disgust or surprise or loathing. He then bowed his head in greeting, to which she responded with an unintentionally ill-mannered nod.

Tenten didn't realize she was into the "princely type" until just now.

The old woman flashed a grimace at her, and if Tenten didn't know any better she'd say that she didn't seem all too impressed with the prince, either. But why? If there were anyone in the room to unquestionably respect, wouldn't it be him?

"Raise your palms to each other." She commanded dryly. Tenten's eyes darted between the elder and the prince, and she almost had the gall to ask why, but she'd already made a scene and had the immediate disapproval of everyone in the area. Now was not the time to be anymore discourteous or obviously ignorant of Pearl Moon traditions. Tenten went as instructed and presented her right hand to the prince. He answered with his left and their palms touched, pressing flatly against each other. His was only faintly warm, like the bare minimum of blood coursed through his fingertips, and his light, buttermilk skin contrasted against her more tan, sandstone shade from spending her days in the hot sun. It was interesting to see the different tones mingle with one another, yet still stand apart as strangers.

She felt anxious and uncertain, and regrettably steered a glance directly at his face. Handsome? Of course. But he was also… pretty, in a way. He hadn't a broad jawline, it was more smooth and shaped like an elongated upside-down teardrop, and though that was a feature commonly attributed to females, it worked for him in a uniquely crafted way.

Her face warmed as she realized two things. One, she had been blatantly checking him out right in his face, and two, he hadn't stopped staring at Tenten since he'd first laid eyes on her. She frowned, unease churning in her stomach. Her pinky finger twitched out of discomfort. What did this have to do with the tournament?

The elder spat another demand and formed an indecipherable sign with both hands. "Speak each other's names and face one another directly. Do not break eye contact."

Without reticence or struggle he said, "Tenten," and she could swear every woman in the audience wanted to toss her into a pit of fire. He hadn't said her name in any special way, and still she had to gulp and blink twice. He sure knew how to make a girl nervous with little effort.

_Hold on… what was his name again?_

Panic quickly gripped her heart.

_Shit, I don't know his name!_

She wasn't allowed to look away. Everyone waited expectantly. What kind of buffoon didn't know the prince's name? She sure as hell couldn't ask!

Tenten reeled through her memories and fished for a name. On every instance she could recall, he'd only been referenced as "the prince." It was safe to assign "Hyuuga" as his surname, but even that lended no favors in divulging the information she really needed!

Seconds burned by. Remarkably, Tenten held an anchored stare with the prince, consciously abstaining from wandering away. Even his brows furrowed in perceived disapproval, like she was wasting his precious time.

Her upper teeth dug into her lower lip, biting it. Tenten knew she had heard his name before, in the whispers of the competing girls or the gossip of the villagers. Somewhere, someone had said his name, and it was—

_"... to our village only. How could we hand off our Prince Neji to some foreigner?"_

"Hyuuga Neji…?"

Their conjoined hands began to glow.

Tenten wrenched her arm away in fear only to be quickly recaptured by Neji. His fingers molded into the spaces between hers and the burning blue light reappeared even stronger, kindling a burning hot energy in their palms. Electricity coursed from her fingertips to her shoulders and soon energizing every fiber in her body. The power threatened to make the buns on her hair burst, blowing her bangs back as if there was wind and she opened her mouth to scream, but gasped like a fish out of water as the world went black and the light shrunk her pupils.

"Linkage!"

The power seemed to flare all over, lights dancing across the arena, and then intangibly converge at a single point. It rushed to the tip of her index finger where it churned and intensified, burning, burning, burning, the skin blazed red and Tenten cried out until her throat went dry.

"Bond!"

In an instant the pain simmered down like cold water poured on hot iron. The light disappeared. Whitespots filtered in and out of her vision, she couldn't see anything clearly. Standing became an impossible feat, legs going numb, her brain swimming in a muddy swamp of dizziness. She vaguely felt her body limply descend to the ground until suddenly being stopped by someone, held in his arms. Was it Lee or Gai-sensei, leaping to her rescue?

Growing clarity circulated throughout her limbs like a cool stream. Tenten blinked rapidly and motioned her free fist to her eyes, rubbing away the vertigo. She forced herself to stand on her own as she stepped back onto the plane of reality, wavering a bit, but nonetheless getting herself together. The male holding her retreated slightly and she realized that it was Prince Neji. Any ounce of dreaminess, however, was long gone. Forget these confounded Pearl Moon customs, she deserved to demand what this woman had just done to her!

Tenten began to take a step back, but not all of her body could go with her. Glancing up, she saw that her right hand was still enclosed with his, only this time, she could not willingly separate hers.

_Huh?_

The prince swiftly returned to her side, appearing as a wide embrace to onlookers, but his intentions were revealed to her alone as he brought his lips to her right ear.

"Listen to what I say closely, as there is no time for an explanation…" His smooth, chillingly grave voice made her shiver, disorientation still clinging to her nerves. "In about 30 seconds, an attempt will be made on our lives."


	2. Arc I: Clash at Pearl Moon pt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much to say, except that it might do you some good to quickly google what a "pagoda" looks like. More swearing and other bad language in this chapter, which is over two weeks late, sorry. So, be warned and enjoy.
> 
> Oh, one last thing, did you guys know that Shippuden Neji is only 5'6"? That's crazy! I know I tend to alter physical appearances (e.g., Tenten's skin tone and height), but I am sooo keeping him that way.

His whisper lingered at her neck like a ghost, rattling her from her head to her toes.

Tenten eyed him wildly as he discreetly withdrew, retreating in a way that implied no one should know about what he'd just said.

30 seconds to live?

This was no ordinary tournament, she knew that now, and in a revelation of unblanketed truth she could see the signs. The lack of security, the "inconsistency," the vision at the cliff and the referee's need to escape the arena as soon as he'd done his job, it all made sense like a completed puzzle. Something wrong was at work in the background and she'd been too focused on the matches to piece the clues together.

It all was a trap.

The details of it Tenten knew not, but it was easy to deduce that the tournament had been a front for something greater… something bad.

Neji appeared to be nonplussed and self-assured. There was a calmness in him and a story in his eyes, and she was angry, lost, using every ounce of restraint in her reserves to not pry from him that story and demand to know why she'd been tricked. But for now, as their hands were still unbreakably attached, Tenten chose to go along with him. That resolute certainty coming off of him in waves, she could tell that he knew what do. Yes, for now, depending on him was her only option.

Because hysterically twisting her head around the room in blatant panicked search of the incoming threat would be anything but conducive to preserving her safety, the girl pretended like nothing was wrong, though with a single glance inside her head one could tell that she was most _definitely_ pretending.

_It's nerve-wracking! 12 seconds have gone by. Did he mean exactly 30 seconds, or was that just an estimate?_

"... It is done."

Tenten finally broke the eye contact and he did as well. Their hands were stuck liked they'd been superglued, but that was not her main concern. When she looked at the place where the old woman once stood, no one was there.

The sky changed colors, a sunset's crepuscular oranges mired of its scintillating fire and a puddle of clouds and pallid grey-purples soaked up the remainder of its ebullience. And then a dark, dark, malevolent laughter wafted from behind them, dripping with malice. They and everyone in the arena turned their heads and saw the repugnant noise slither from the mouth of Hiashi, his face crookedly contorted in a maniacal wide grin.

"Finally… hahahhaahh… finally!"

The man—the _creature_ held his head in his hands and trembled. He clawed and thrashed at his face until the skin scraped off, a gruesome sight that had her aching to bolt and run, the shredded flesh falling to the ground in gnarled, tarnished pieces. When he arose the crowd was introduced to the wholly new visage of a gray-skinned character, carrying an uncanny likeness to a snake.

The horror didn't end there. It proceeded to peel off the rest of what was Hiashi's "body" as if it were _molting_. This most nauseating of sights was the breaking point—screams and chaos boomed like bombs within the crowd and a hectic surge of the audience climbed on top of one another to get off of the stands and escape the Hyuuga Estate. Tenten combed through the train of people with her eyes in hopes of catching a glimpse of Lee or Gai-sensei, but this effort was an attempt in vain. They were nowhere to be seen, and she was stranded between a stranger and a monster.

"Wh… what the hell is he…" She breathlessly wondered aloud, a silky terror swimming up her veins, inebriating her as potently as vodka.

"He's grown more powerful than before…" Neji finally spoke, a bare whisper caught in the cacophony of discord confining them. "Get behind me. Now!"

Tenten jumped. Without asking for explanations she moved to be hidden by his back, drawing their intertwined hands to rest at their right sides. Shrieks of murder played like ceaseless background music as dusk gave birth to a crescent moon, standing tall above the bursting cataclysms within the village. No one was safe. She _tore_ her eyes away from the creature and looked around.

Her heart stopped. There were bodies. Bodies everywhere.

The victims decorated the ground like black-petaled flowers, strewn across the grass as if they were discarded laundry. Men, women, boys and girls laid out by the hundreds. The arena had been converted to a graveyard, and the culprits were clear: snakes, large and small, brown and purple, hidden by the grass and the forgiving darkness of the sky. She could see them wriggling about and biting the limbs of whatever poor soul was to be their next target.

Panic gunned her down. Where were they? Where were they? Everyone was lifeless on the ground, but not them. It couldn't be. Not the two most relentlessly energetic people on the planet _god damn it_ , where were they?

_Lee… Gai-sensei… where are you?!_

No. No, they were not gone. She knew it in her heart that they were alive and refused to consider anything less. There were innocent people in peril that she could be helping, doing anything _._ Tenten tugged in the direction of a girl's unmoving body. "I have to help. We have to try _something_. They could still b—"

"Don't bother. They are dead, all of them." There was nothing but matter-of-factness in the prince's voice, and Tenten swallowed this fact like a dry pill. She should've known.

"Already rushing off to save the day? My, my, that's awfully bold."

Tenten crunched her hands into fists. The snake monster was no longer in the place he once was, his taunting voice coming in from all directions.

"After all, I don't think you have the privilege to be worrying about other people…"

She blinked.

"When I'm right here!"

Too many things happened at once.

The second her eyelids flashed open a curling blood red tongue and a gray reptilian face bulleted at her at lightning speed, no body attached to it with every intention to end her life. And then there were sudden wisps of blurred green that struck the snake monster down so hard the marble rock of the arena shattered as the head crashed into it. Debris and dust fluttered at the feet of her savior.

"Prince Neji!" said Lee, his back to them heroically. "I have an important request to ask of you! Please, protect my precious sister and take her far away from here. I will hold off this villain to give you more time."

"Lee, stop talking nonsense! That's _not_ a human. You don't stand a chance!"

"Even if that may be true, I cannot stand the thought of you or more people getting hurt while I do nothing!"

"But Lee—"

"Gai-sensei will be here to assist me soon," He assured her. "So please, hurry! I promise we will find you!"

Tenten couldn't quell the tsunami churning within her, malaise pushing and pulling her heart in different directions. Why did it feel like she wouldn't be seeing him again for a while?

She didn't get the chance to object any further. Neji scooped her up in his arms like a bride, deaf to her gasps and protests. Something like a nod was exchanged between the two boys before he sprinted in the opposite direction, the air in her lungs sucked away as her mouth called to scream after her brother.

Lee turned around to flash her a million dollar smile and a thumbs up, facing away from the impending snake monster's head rising above him.

" _LEE!_ "

* * *

 

**April 14th**

 

* * *

Chouji waved goodbye as Tenten left the Akimichi premises, wishing her well on her travels.

He sat on the porch for a while longer until his best friend strolled by, as he always did at noon. The boy walked down the path to the clan house and seated himself next to Chouji, words not yet exchanged. They stared up at the sky, which was, unfortunately, clear as the ocean; no clouds to be seen.

"Was that the girl who's been dropping by your house a lot?" Shikamaru asked, referring to the girl he'd seen his friend waving at.

"Yeah, that's Tenten. She's from River Spirit."

"That little farmer village nearby?" Chouji nodded. "Mm. What's she doing here all the time?"

"My mom pays her to keep watch over the grounds during the day sometimes." He reached for a bag of chips on the other side of the paper window. "But it's really only 'cause she wants me to talk to more girls. She's hoping that I'll marry her."

Chouji could sense the grimace on Shikamaru's face arise, preceded by a long, tired sigh. "Sounds like a drag. My mom's always on my ass about how I gotta get my act together before I get married." He stretched and laid himself out on the porch, frowning. " _Women_."

"I think you are too close-minded, Shikamaru. The only girls you know are Ino and your mom."

"I could say the same to you, pal."

At the same time they turned their heads and glared at each other. This didn't last long, easy laughter quickly sprouting in the warm spring air.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Tenten's nice, though. I think you would like her if you met her. She's a year older than us."

"Nah. My hands are full with the two that I already know. One way or another, she'll just end up screaming at me." He cast a curious look at the other beside him. "Sure sounds like _you_ like her, Chouji."

"I don't like Tenten. She's just—chomp chomp—she's just easy to talk to. You should see her fight, she's very good."

"I don't wanna get friendly with a girl who can kick my ass. 'Cause if I get her mad, she'll kick my ass."

Chouji laughed again, this time not accompanied by his friend, who rolled on his side and lazily picked his ear. Shikamaru was an unmotivated, indolent fellow who strived to elude any and all affairs he considered to be "troublesome," and, consequently, there was no shortage of things he could put into this category.

He was also a born genius, and the heir to one of the most respected clans in the Village of the Fire Rat.

Peaceful days were the kind that they enjoyed, days where the sun wasn't too hot and little was required of them and they had each other. He swung his feet back and forth at the edge of the porch, consuming his chips, clear-headed.

"Hey, Shikamaru?"

"Mm."

"Tenten's entering a martial arts tournament in Pearl Moon. I was thinking we might take a trip there and cheer her on."

Shikamaru peeped an eye open. "Too troublesome. Pearl Moon is far. I hate traveling."

Chouji frowned, instantly disheartened. "Oh, okay."

They were quiet.

"... Pearl Moon is the place with the best hot springs in the country, right?"

Chouji hummed, "You bet. I hear many people go there to relieve stress."

"..." Shikamaru juggled the prospect. "I doubt my mom would let me go. She's still pissed 'cause I skipped out on that dinner at her friend's house."

"If we ask Ino to come, she might change her mind. Your mom loves Ino."

"I knew you'd say that." Shikamaru groaned and scratched his head at the idea. "There's no point in going if Ino's coming with us. She and 'relaxation' don't exactly go together."

Chouji poked him in his side. "Come on. Ino's our friend, she'd never forgive us if we went on a trip without her." He heard him say "tch" and mutter "troublesome," another way of begrudgingly accepting his proposal.

An hour sailed by effortlessly, where they talked about a range of simple subjects such as the weather, the things that bothered them, the world and their place in it. Anything and everything they could share their thoughts on. He was the one person in the world that Chouji felt completely comfortable with, the one person his age who never judged him or told him that he needed to change, and in return Chouji would never scold him for his lackadaisical tendencies. It was very easy to be around each other.

He hoped these days would last forever.

* * *

 

**April 30th**

 

* * *

The five days spent traveling to Pearl Moon were undifficult and fun, though Ino complained that they were the worst possible travel partners on the face of the planet. Neither could really argue given their ubiquitous sedentary natures of constantly calling for breaks, either for food or to take a nap. The female fraction of their trio and self-delegated leader wouldn't have it, her only stop being at the hospital of a passing village to gather more medical supplies. "Just in case," she said.

Their escort had bailed last minute on account of a family emergency when they were just two miles outside of Fire Rat. He had told them to wait there while he went to go send someone else, but the replacement chaperone never came. With a swipe of the map and self-confident conviction, Ino had taken charge from there.

As a result, there were parts that weren't fun. At the "leader's" behest, he and Shikamaru hoisted triple their luggage, shouldering their own and Ino's various asinine accoutrements, who claimed that "I can't be the one doing _all_ the work! Don't you see me reading the map?"

But their first campfire, the adventure, the freedom of exploring the open green country all on their own, that was amazing. Any kind of time spent with his friends was a guaranteed good time, even if Ino was bossy from time to time. His friends were his treasure.

On the day they arrived, all three agreed to hit the hot springs immediately, eat, then check into an inn for a long, well-deserved rest, a flawless battle plan for their little gang. At the onsen, Chouji and Shikamaru found themselves to be in the company of just three other men whom minded their own business, and Ino's _only_ complaint touched on how _rude_ of her bathmates it was to act as if she didn't exist.

"I said 'hello,' and she pretended that she didn't even see me! I swear, everybody here is so snotty and full of themselves."

"And you aren't?"

Chouji simply shook his head at his poor friend, who once again fell victim to Ino's infamous quadruple ear-pinch attack. Tomorrow, the first of May, would be his birthday, and still his friends could only quarrel.

* * *

 

**May 2nd**

 

* * *

Relationships between clans served them well at the Hyuuga Estate. All attendants to the tournament were required to give their names and village of origin. A triple-threat "Yamanaka," "Akimichi," and "Nara" of the Village of the Fire Rat combo broke the barrier that separated "commoner" from "noble." They were redirected by a handmaiden to a different set of seats beside actual members of Hyuuga Clan.

Stairs took them up the five eaves of a white pagoda in front of the arena, looming 20 feet above the stage. The view was perfect, but Chouji was disappointed that, sitting next to such important people, there was no way he could cheer for Tenten the way he wanted to. Ino, Shikamaru, and himself were representing their clans, after all, and any out-of-order behavior would do damage to their families. They and the Hyuuga were on enviable terms, a valuable ally to have, but also a dangerous enemy should the tides take turn.

The trio bowed as they introduced themselves to four Hyuugas, the immediate family of the clan head: his wife, two daughters, and nephew.

"Forgive me for my rudeness, but have we met before?" Ino asked of the eldest daughter as they sat themselves at the balcony. She appeared startled to have been spoken to and struggled to maintain eye contact.

"Ah, u—um, yes, I believe so…" Hinata said softly, twiddling her thumbs. "Nine years ago… m—maybe eight…"

Her mother chimed herself in. "It was a gathering for tea between your mother and I, Ino-san. I brought Hinata along with me and the two of you met, but you couldn't have been more than five years old. How is Sawako, by the way?"

"My mother is well! She recently opened a flower shop in Fire Rat and…"

Chouji and Shikamaru gratefully let their social butterfly friend do the talking until the matches began. Hinata, Hanabi, and Neji, none of them seemed partial to the idea of conversation, and that was perfectly fine. No one hated _passive_ _formality_ as much as he knew Shikamaru did, fronting as friendly with other nobles in light of the underlying tension, the risk of offending someone, treading tranquil waters with a knife at your neck—it was all very political and calculated and everyone knew it. This particular clan, it was the type that had secrets, the type that hypnotized the public eye into believing that they were beautiful, that they were gods, that they were blessed to _exist_ within the same village. They were masters of pretending, maybe not the two girls, but the wife and prince Neji were people to be wary of.

He hadn't expected to run into such serious matters on what was meant to be a surprise visit to his friend.

Whatever delicate subject Ino and the woman were handling got swept away when rows and rows of girls lined up on the arena platform where the fights would take place. A man walked up to the center stage.

"I am Hyuuga Hiashi. I welcome you all to my estate…"

* * *

"You weren't lying, Chouji. Your friend is really good at fighting hand-to-hand!" Ino whispered in his ear behind a palm. He nodded, feeling proud that he could show off how he had such a cool older friend.

Tenten had just finished her third "fight," a forfeit on the other girl's behalf, and she would advance to the next and final round. In all honesty, he hadn't thought that Tenten would be able to defeat the people of Pearl Moon. The gentle fist style was one that even his father said he wouldn't want to scrap with, but her unorthodox and free way of moving, not following any kind of steps or instruction and simply going with the flow as nature provided, it very well proved his doubts wrong. That seemed to be the problem with these young users of the gentle fist; _everyone_ used it, everyone _expected_ it, and everyone _understood_ it, but Tenten was the one ripple in the rift that these girls couldn't predict.

 _But I…_ He thought to himself, assessing his own pressing grievances. _I'm really, really hungry… I hope the last match'll be over soon..._

"That foreigner is skilled, Neji-niisama." Hanabi remarked with a hint of surprise. "How would you like her as your wife?"

"W—wife?" Chouji couldn't help but interject from the opposite side of the row of chairs. The four Hyuuga darted their eyes of wisteria purple at him like bullets in rapid succession to which he gulped and hung his head down. "F… forgive me for speaking out of turn, Hanabi-oujosama. But… um… so you are thinking of taking Tenten of River Spirit as your wife, Prince Neji?"

He felt the stares idle upon him for a few seconds longer, perusing him cautiously, and then steer towards the prince. His imagination teased, as Chouji was certain he could feel the prince's aura stab daggers at him for driving the attention down his path. Now they waited expectantly for his reply, silence drowning the conversation. Finally then, he responded,

"My opinion is of no consequence. I haven't a say in the matter."

Cool, composed, decorous, ushered by a slightly bitter aftertaste. The Hyuuga females exchanged concerned glances between one another.

"Well, um… what my nephew means to say is that this is no ordinary tournament. The young woman of our village are competing to wed the prince." The woman assured. "The Council of Elders was having difficulties selecting a worthy wife for him, because we only want to welcome the strongest into our family. We value power over lineage, you see. They deemed this the best way to do so while sustaining our independence."

"I don't think the council counted on someone from River Spirit getting this far, let alone _finding_ _out_ about our tournament." Hanabi denoted, tilting her head at the stage where Tenten and Sayomuhime stood across from one another. "Is that village not days away from us? How strange it is that she knew of this arrangement."

"That, um, th—that is a worthy notion, Hanabi. I did not know that word could spread so… um… far…"

"But if that were the case, would there not be even _more_ foreigners competing?"

Chouji stiffened and tightly gripped the hem of his shorts as they continued to speculate. Ino and Shikamaru slowly leaned in to him, the conversation to be kept to themselves.

"Chouji," His friend uttered warningly. "You're the one that told Tenten about the tournament." Pause. "And you didn't know about the marriage half of it."

He stated it like a fact as concrete as the sky was blue. There was no arguing with a Shikamaru brand analysis.

"You _idiot!_ " Ino scream-whispered harshly. "How could you not know that?! If she wins, her whole life could be ruined!"

A mountainous guilt dragged his entire body down like a thousand anvils crushing his ribcage. Tenten would _despise_ marrying into the Hyuuga, a clan so stiff and proper and mysterious, her freedom shot from the sky and ambitions spiraling to the dirt below. The life of a noble was a suffocating one where public image affected everything, and surely she would be subjected to scrutiny beyond imagination, unwittingly taking an opportunity that so many girls of Pearl Moon desired. He didn't know what she wanted to do with her life, but whatever it was, she could not do it so long as she was affiliated with the Hyuuga. Chouji couldn't live with doing that to her.

"I… sorry guys…" He didn't know what to say but apologize. "Shikamaru, what can we do?"

To his dismay, the other boy shook his head, frowning. "We're not the ones you oughtta be saying sorry to. Let's just hope your friend loses this thing, or else."

The ball was in the park. Needles at his feet, Chouji watched the final match between Tenten and someone called Sayomuhime begin.

* * *

"... Tenten, of the Village of the River Spirit."

He tried to not make his lack of enthusiasm appear obvious.

Chouji snuck a look at Tenten's fiancé. Unperturbed, unimpressed, uninterested as he had been at the start. Neji stood up from his seat. He bowed and then walked to the exit stairs down the pagoda, no words to accompany him. It was likely that he was leaving in order to meet his future wife for the first time.

"Oh, Obaa-sama! Do you have any carrier pigeons available? The three of us would like to report to our parents that we'll be leaving soon." Ino chirped with alacrity, innocently posing her hands to her cheeks.

"Oh…?" The wife said, sounding confused. "I suppose so… Hinata. Would you show our guests to the export offi—"

She waved her hands dismissively and smiled, "No no no, don't trouble yourself, Hinata-san. We'll find it on our own while you watch the ceremony, hahahahaha…" An awkward cough in her fist. "Chouji, Shikamaru, _come on_."

The two knew Ino well; she had something up her sleeve. They nodded discreetly.

"U—um… but you cannot access our delivery room without one of us present, ah, um…"

They were already halfway down the stairs.

"What're you thinking, Ino?" He asked directly as they climbed down. She scowled.

"Duh! You're going to explain to Hiashi-sama exactly what happened and hope that you can fix this mess. I mean, seriously, the _Hyuuga_?" She continued, sounding irritated. "That's, like, the worst possible clan to marry into! And—"

Ino froze mid-step, suddenly stiff as a marble statue. Shikamaru and Chouji stopped as well and stared quizzically at the blonde. Her foot unnaturally hovered above the stair she was about to step on, leg outstretched, not wavering, completely immobile.

Shikamaru placed his hand tentatively on her shoulder, feeling uneasy. "... Ino…?"

"Shikamaru, what's wrong? Is she okay?"

He didn't answer. Chouji watched him walk down past Ino to get a look at her face, alarmed at the change in air.

"Wh—what the…?!"

She fell backwards. Chouji caught her from behind and supported her limp rag doll of a body, which molded to him and the stairs without a smidgen of control. Her body vibrated, trembling almost, he could feel that _something_ was going on within her. Helplessly he looked to his more knowledgeable friend and asked again, voice weaved with concern, "Shikamaru, what's wrong with Ino? What just happened to her?"

His expression revealed horror. Now the boy was anxious, for he knew Shikamaru and he knew that he did not scare easily and he didn't play around. So what could possibly justify a pale, wide-eyed, grievously petrified look like that from the Shikamaru who had two, maybe two and a half different facial expressions in total?

"Shikamaru." He was silent. "Shikamaru!" He was frozen. "What did you see? Shikamaru!"

"Hhgh!" He made a strangled sound like he was punched in the gut and doubled over onto his hands and knees on the stairs. And then he vomited right there, in a Hyuuga pagoda, spilling his stomach before Ino's feet on the glazed wood. Chouji watched on in shocked distress, both his friends suffering from some unknown illness while he was at a loss. Gasping, gasping, choking, gasping again, Shikamaru couldn't seem to hold any air in his lungs. Still holding Ino carefully, he maneuvered around to rub the Nara's quaking back, shivering, hanging his head down.

At that moment, Ino chose to awaken. He felt her squirm in his arms until she could move on her own, using the railing as temporary support. While Shikamaru still gagged raucously she gripped her hands on Chouji's shoulders, sharpened nails stabbing his skin. Her eyes were wild.

"Chouji, listen to me. I know this sounds crazy," she was deadly serious, "but we need to get _out_ of Pearl Moon. Right now."

* * *

They hurried down the spiral stairs unhesitatingly like a heavy pounding heartbeat. Chouji carried an unconscious Shikamaru on his back and Ino led the way over ten steps ahead. Sounds of commotion passed through the paper walls from the arena. It didn't sound good. She could only hope that they weren't too late.

"In… o…" Groaned their drifting comrade. Wrinkles showed on his scrunched up forehead, labored breath audible, shiny skin revealing sweat, and he appeared to be in pain. "Chou... Ino…"

"What's… what's wrong with him?" Chouji huffed, fatigue causing him to sweat as well from the speed at which they raced downwards. "Ino, what's going on?"

"I'll tell you later, Chouji!" A lie. "He'll be fine, just trust me!" Another lie. "Come on, bring him down! Let's go, let's go!"

As she came to the very last step, she whispered a prayer and waited for Chouji catch up. He climbed his way down with obvious reticence, panting, and laid Shikamaru on the marble floor. They both bent to his level. Ino reached into her book bag to pull out a cold, round little gemstone of cerulean-white hues and accurately centered it in her palm. She then wet her lips, closed her eyes, and blew cold air onto the perfectly smooth surface, alighting a soft white glow to surround it. No actions yet explained, she placed the object on Shikamaru's forehead and held it there with two fingers. Her other hand formed the same sign, index and pointer fingers pressed to her lips.

"Art of the Boar: Ease!"

She heard Chouji gasp as wispy purple smoke floated up from Shikamaru's head and trickled into the gemstone, watching it change to sangria red, polluted with black wine dusted purples on the bottom. The shimmer was gone, and it was now a dark, dull rock, radiating an uncomfortable warmth between their skin.

Ino quickly pocketed it before their friend began to stir. Chouji leaned him up and patted his back, and he rubbed his eyelids harshly. Her eyes softened, sighing with relief until the danger surrounding them panged in her chest once more. "Shikamaru, get up. It's an emergency." She said.

"Ino… My ears won't quit ringing..." He moaned. "Shit... I feel like shit."

"Take it easy, Shikamaru," the brunette boy offered momentarily, laying him down in his lap as he faded in and out of consciousness. He faced her head-on, a clip of fear and suspicion in his eyes. "What did you do to him? First he looked at you directly, threw up, and then he _passed_ _out_! And then you—then you did that crazy thing with that stone! What's going on, Ino? What have you been hiding from us?"

The blonde felt attacked, for now it seemed that one of her best friends had turned on her. He had never seen her abilities of the Yamanaka Clan, she hadn't ever even told him or anyone about it; no one knew of the power in her hands…

This was bad. Her parents would be furious.

Tears burned like fire at the corners of her eyes. Was he implying that she was anything but a loyal friend to them? Clan relations were complex, she knew that, and the Yamanaka Clan had only fathered two generations in the Village of the Fire Rat after immigrating there, parvenues among them. It was an incomparable paucity to the long, long history of the Akimichi and Nara, whom had fostered their roots in the village for centuries. They were more trusted. They trusted each other _more_ than Ino and her clan.

It took everything to stop her voice from breaking. "Just listen to me," She closed her eyes shut to keep from crying. "I can't tell you. But we've gotta—"

"No! No matter what, I can't just _leave_ , Ino! Tenten's my friend and she's still in trouble!"

 _That's the last of our worries, you numbskull!_ She gritted her teeth. "You know what, Chouji? I don't care anymore! Yeah, I don't care, because I bet she'd be better off married than _dead!"_

.

.

.

"Ino. We trust you. Spill it already."

Shikamaru was the one who peeped up, using Chouji's shoulder to help himself stand. They lingered in place juxtaposition. The latter boy hesitated before allowing himself to nod, reaffirming that he still trusted her, too.

The girl gnawed on her dry lips. Her parents, could they forgive her if two people knew her most precious secret?

No, not yet.

"Pearl Moon is going to be invaded." Ino confessed. She refused to say how or why she knew but she just _did_ , and they would have to accept that. The situation was too dire to waste precious seconds on revealing everything. She lowered her voice to a daunting, sonorous tone of fatal severity, deep as the dark depths of the ocean, rumbling with an avalanche's motions. Ino meant business. "People will die. We could die too if we don't get out of here. So, I'll say it one more time. We. Have. To leave. _NOW._ "

And that was how the Ino-Shika-Cho trio wound up running faster than they ever had before, all but kicking the sliding door in their path open and racing outside—only to stop in their tracks.

They were no longer in Pearl Moon. Except they were, but the sight before their eyes might as well have been an entirely different world. The serenity? Gone. The beauty? Obliterated. The people?

Dead.

Monochrome mauve skies perfectly translated the message. The Village of Pearl Moon had already been invaded.

"MORNING PEACOCK!"

_CRASH._

Yellow and orange exploded across the landscape, splashing the dark world in an illuminating light. Fire caught the rooftops in the residencies of the village, black on blazing red burning with a resolute need to _consume_ and _destroy_.

Ino cried, "Wh—what is that?!"

A man, or some other creature, with hot red skin and a body of forest green shot into the air like a firework, radiating crimson aura which spread a killing-intent that resonated deep in their bones. From their angle, they gazed in terrified awe at his backside as his arms—fists—legs were a fusillade of explosive power, a merciless bombardment _pounding_ whatever cursed soul suffered at the opposite end. A purely primal dragon's roar shook the atmosphere from his mouth, and an earthquake rumbled beneath their feet.

"This... is some kind of hell…" Shikamaru whispered, the flames reflecting in his black eyes.

Shrill, female screams sounded from somewhere above their heads. Everybody tensed.

"Th… the Hyuuga girls, they're still up there..." Chouji uttered.

He said it as a tentative statement. No one suggested that they rush to their rescue or leave them to die and escape. All their young, inexperienced minds were capable of was staring stupidly as the world fell apart, charred cinders flying in the air, creeping at their toes.

"NO, _PLEASE_ , NO! MOTHER!"

Handfuls of cries thundered down from the pagoda's top balustrade, each another dagger in their hearts. The tears again started before Ino realized it. Chouji, too, made no effort to conceal his trembling shoulders.

Shikamaru, though. His emotions compelled him to do something different.

" _Damn it!_ "

The boy swore and suddenly took off sprinting back into the building. He spared no seconds to dart the fastest she'd ever seen him go.

"Wha—Shikamaru! What are you doing?!"

He paused in his run and leaned over the railing, already halfway up the first set of stairs. "Chouji, take Ino and get out of here! I'll find you guys soon!"

Ino sputtered, "Are you _insane?_ You'll get yourself killed! Shikamaru!" She began to chase after him inside until she felt a grip on her wrist holding her back.

"No," Chouji said, "he knows what he's doing. Come on, Ino. We've got to hurry."

Ino stared up at him, eyes misty and red. That damn Shikamaru, deciding things on his own. He was a genius, this was a fact, but how could his brain possibly do him any good right now? This was life or death!

_Oh, hold on…! I still have that thing in my bag!_

"Wait! Shikamaru, take this!"

The girl roughly took off her backpack to rummage around and withdraw a capsule the length of her palm. Her upper body strength was very weak, even for a female, and her blood roved in her ears with nervousness as she swung her arm around and hurled the object up at him. They heard it clatter a few steps above him.

"Thanks, Ino!" He affirmed, snatching it up on his way to the second set of stairs.

Anxiousness gurgled in her gut. She could hear his footsteps continue on, faster and faster to the next flight.

Free fingers becoming balled fists, she shouted, "DON'T YOU DARE DIE, YOU BIG DUMBASS! I'LL _MURDER_ YOU IF YOU DO!"

No response.

He was already long out of sight.

She bit back a sob, feeling the strong squeeze of Chouji's hand in hers. Why did it feel like she wouldn't be seeing him again for a while?

Nodding to each other, the pair ran outside into the desolate streets of Pearl Moon and didn't look back.

* * *

"Take me back! Put me down!"

Tenten squirmed intransigently in the arms of the prince, kicking and flailing and thrashing relentlessly. Their hands were still glued together, and it made her position extremely uncomfortable with her arm hooking backwards around her side, palm attached to his which carried her bridal style. She slapped and clawed whatever parts of his body she could reach, but he just set forward on—down the hill that opened Pearl Moon to a field of tall white flowers. Pollen visibly floated in the air around them, white and blue and purple dust blowing about with the wind.

 _These are the flowers Gai-sensei told us about…_ Tenten remembered in the midst of her rage. Already, her rampant emotions seemed to pacify under the pollen's soothing effect. Her mind eased, her thoughts more coherent and clear.

"You could _at least_ not carry me like this. My arm is killing me."

"I will put you down soon. Hold on for a bit longer."

"Ugh." She squirmed a bit more, aching to stretch her arm, just a little bit. "Where are you taking me?"

"A temporary shelter where the demon cannot find us."

"Can't find us…" She repeated quietly. "Why? What is it after? Why is it after _me?_ "

The prince said nothing. He ran off the gravel path and darted into the ocean of white flowers that reached up to his hips, waning to their sides as he pushed past them while Tenten drowned at their stalks. The leaves and stems flitted her hair, her face, her nose vulnerable to the sprinkling down pollen from above. It smelled of harsh perfume at such intimate proximity and snuck past her lips and nostrils. She snorted and sputtered, grinding her tongue across her teeth in hopes of eliminating the planty, poisonous flavor that most flowers had from her offended taste buds.

Drowsiness made its way into her body. Tenten blinked rapidly, eyelids heavy and lazy. The pollen was intoxicating her like alcohol, she felt drunk and dulled in the head, growing dizzier each time she inhaled. If she lost her grip on mental equanimity any more she would surely start to hallucinate.

She shook her head around and pinched her cheek, willing her mind to hold out against the luring seduction of sleep. It wasn't fair that she could worry about something so trivial while Lee was back in the village fighting and Gai-sensei was gods-know where doing gods-know what.

"Oh."

Neji had stopped moving a while ago. He was searching for something in the ground, frowning in what she saw as frustration. Tenten grunted anxiously, and he finally lowered her down feet first to stand on her own. She stretched her arm and groaned when his hand, still stuck to hers, followed with it. Wasn't it about time he explained everything from start to finish?

"Byakugan!"

Throbbing veins popped up at the corners of his eyes and spread to the sides of his face. Tenten took in a breath, staring at him in disgust and shock. What _was_ he?

His eyes—she didn't even want to _look_ at them directly—scanned the field for something, and when he found whatever it was he tugged Tenten to follow him. Their silent falling footsteps left imprints in the soft dirt as they made a turn and ran further into the infinite expanse of flowers. Purple twilight gave way to a blacker sky, the tentative claws of night peeling away its lighter counterpart. Shrouded in darkness they were, feet lost in a shadow's greedy pools before they could ever meet the ground. She squinted; the few things she could see were the ghostly white contrasts of the flower bulbs and the prince's clothing. His hand was still cold, and she herself began to feel the chill of early night's shy breezes.

Neji halted again. She stood by his side this time, taking a glance back at the fallen Village of Pearl Moon. Blood-curdling screams smoked like distant whispers to her now, just barely audible but nonetheless gut-wrenching. People died on this day. People would continue to die on this day. A history would have no one to carry it on to the next generation because on this day, Pearl Moon had fallen. She thought about it that way, in the most unequivocal truth she could muster.

_Lee… Gai-sensei… I hope you're alright…_

To her surprise, the prince as well was staring back at the village. He did not falter, nor did he cry or grin or show any sign of earnest or sinister emotion. An impassive goodbye, perhaps it was, to his home and everyone in it.

He placed his palm flat in the open air as though he were pressing it against a wall. Lines formed on his forehead, creased with concentration, and then the air around them felt static and buzzing with heat. A whirring blue energy flashed to life around his raised hand.

Tenten gasped, "Whoa."

The energy hummed as it took tangible form and coursed into its own cubic shape. The figure grew and grew, and she realized that the power wasn't becoming something on its own; it was surrounding something.

Its blue electricity— _thing,_ she had no idea what it was—faded, and from its disappearance a small wooden structure appeared, about the size of a port-a-potty. On its door was an engraved circle with a curved line and two smaller circles within. Tenten recognized it to be the symbol of yin and yang.

"We will stay here until our hands are no longer stuck."

She pulled back as he began to walk forward.

"You're out of your mind if you think I'm going anywhere with you."

"You don't have a choice. It will not be long before the demon comes after us again."

Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of that monster again. It was clear that it had tried to kill her—but she had originally thought that it was after no one in particular, its goal to reap general havoc. Why on Earth would it be targeting _her_ specifically? Why would it pursue her again?

"... Okay," Tenten resolved, "but I want an explanation from start to finish. You _will_ tell me _everything_ I need to know, and after I find my family, I'm getting out of here."

Neji shrugged noncommittally. She was about to repeat her demands to make sure he understood until he opened the door to reveal a stone staircase heading down into the earth, depth concealed by looming shadows.

 _Am I really about to head into some underground lair with a guy that I don't even know?_ She hesitated, _for all I know, he could be a psychopath! This could be a trap!_

"H—hold on," she stopped a second time. He seemed irritated when he looked at her again. "Where are we going? How do I know you're not crazy?"

"You don't."

"Wh—yeah, I don't!"

The conversation did not extend beyond that establishment. Tenten didn't know what to say next. So they descended into the ground, hand in hand, succumbing to the darkness and mystery awaiting.

"You're not really a prince, are you?"

Echoes graced each reverberating step past the damp, slippery surface of the stairs. Slow was their pace, hypnotic, droning, down, down, down, down...

"No." He said. "No, I am not."

* * *

When he was sure his friends were gone, Shikamaru stopped running. He assessed his surroundings decisively—one light to his furthermost left, one on his opposite side below, one on the next staircase, a lantern on the first floor, and a single bulb at the very top ceiling. _I gotta take out at least three for it to get dark enough_.

Damning himself and his conscience for putting him in the heart of a problem, he took off the band that held his ponytail together and reached into his pocket. Three marbles and a broken chopstick. It'd have to do.

Shikamaru stretched the band with the pointer finger and thumb of his left hand and held a marble at the front's midpoint. He had his makeshift slingshot. Now to pull it back and aim...

_Clink!_

The sharp sound of shattering glass was music to his ears. It got significantly darker, as the ceiling bulb was the strongest source of light, but it wasn't enough to perform his technique. He added another marble and struck the next one with ungodly precision. Only one more, and he could reach the girls and do—whatever. He didn't think it through; how uncharacteristic of him. He didn't even know what _kind_ of trouble they were in, and here he was risking his life to save them. What could _he_ do?

"Pain in the ass," he said (possibly directed at himself), preparing to launch the last one.

"GET AWAY! MOTHER, WE HAVE TO—"

The drum-splitting screech that burst in his ears made him jump and drop the marble over the stairs. Its rapid bouncing descent down the stairs mocked him as it fell further from his reach.

"Fuck," sweat dropped from his forehead. "Fuck!"

He couldn't think straight. From those _things_ he saw in Ino's eyes to the _dead body_ he'd nearly stepped on outside, Shikamaru was not in quick-thinking genius mode, he was in about-to-have-a-nervous-breakdown 13 year old boy mode. He scrambled for something he could use a replacement and found nothing.

 _There's no way I'll get up there fast enough just by running._ "I gotta do it."

Shikamaru bent on one knee—awkwardly, on a staircase—and formed the hand seals his father had taught him, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

"Art of the Deer: Shadow Control!"

The shadows of the walls drew to his body, becoming stronger and darker as they gradually coalesced into swarming black pools at his feet. His face turned red, harnessing the darkness that he could in the most strained concentration he'd ever forced upon himself. The boy never needed to work this hard just _gathering_ the shadows because it was never this _light_ out, the hardest part was supposed to be getting them to bend to his will. But this… it felt like swimming against a wave as it pushed him back, forcing the negative ends of a magnet to touch as they repelled each other. Shadows didn't belong where light dominated. The resist against his will proved that.

Plan B.

"Ugh!" Shikamaru released his control. Instantly, the gobs of black in his detainment bubbled and retreated to the dark corners from where they came, except for a small fraction that he kept for himself. In the shape of a needle he aimed the shadow at a light—the one to his furthermost left.

_Clink!_

Perfect.

Lowly in a blanket of newfound black, "I got you now."

One more time, he made the seals.

* * *

Lee ran ragged with the wind, flying on his feet for his life. _BOOM, BOOM, BOOM,_ in the shadows of his wake another crash whipped the ground, hitting the fallen people whom littered the grass in groups.

"How _dare_ you desecrate the bodies of those you've killed?!" He shouted with passionate rage, removing a child's corpse from harm's way milliseconds before the demon lashed at it. That someone—something— _anything_ could have so little regard for the deceased—a most sacred state that should never be violated—it made him sick with abhorrence and anger.

"Have you no respect for human life?!"

_WHIP._

"Do you not care for the families you have destroyed?!"

_WHIP._

"I will not forgive these crimes so easily, snake! Prepare yourself!"

_WHIP._

Lee did not dodge the tendrils this time—instead, he jumped in the air and landed on top of it. The tongue of the snake recoiled, snapping back to its mouth, but just before it returned to its maw he jumped again and punched its head into the arena. Marble and stone flecks scattered in the air.

He flipped backwards onto his feet and to the ground, panting with exertion. He'd been at this back-and-forth game with the snake for over 20 minutes. It was a miniscule price to pay for the safety of his sister, he would _never_ give up, but at this point Lee had ascertained that his efforts thus far bore no damage to his enemy. He'd punch it or kick it or slam it into the ground with all of his might and it would rise up again to resume offense. Could it be _toying_ with him?

_Perhaps… it is time that I use the technique that Gai-sensei taught me. I only grow weaker with each attack. What a most formidable opponent I face, indeed!_

"First gate…" Lee hummed, concentrating on his muscles. Wind gathered at his feet. Leaves and debris swirled in a circle around his legs. He felt fire seep past a layer of tissue, searing his nerves. The outer pain was gone. As he prepared his first attack to break the dam, unleash his unbridled fury, _demolish_ the criminal before his eyes, the words to tip the domino nearly left his lips.

"No, Lee."

The growing power fled his body. Lee turned around.

" _GAI-SENSEI!_ "

Emotion overwhelmed him. The tears flushed out of his eyes like water rapids, pouring and pouring beyond a shred of control. Lee moved to hug his sensei, but was met with rejection.

"YOU _FOOL!_ " Gai bellowed, whacking his pupil upside the head. "That technique is _FORBIDDEN!_ I told you to hold off the demon until I returned, not try to kill it!"

This time, the tail lashed where they stood. Both vaulted out of the way, jumping in the opposite direction away from each other. Gai-sensei shouted from across the arena, "Find Tenten, and help any survivors you find along the way and return to our village! You absolutely cannot allow yourselves to get bitten by snakes! Do you understand?"

_WHIP._

"Yes, Gai-sensei!" He saluted. "And you will be joining us soon, yes?"

"JUST _GO_ , LEE!"

A flinch. That didn't sound like his sensei.

Shakily, the boy gave an unsure nod and darted into the streets. Worry hung over his head like a persistent rain cloud. The way Gai-sensei spoke of it, the snake monster was far stronger than he'd imagined… No, surely _his_ sensei would overcome any obstacle put in his path. That was the power of overflowing youth!

So he ran. Houses blurred in his vision from the thunderous speed at which he moved, turning corners and corners and shouting the name of his sister.

"TENTEN! TENTEN!" He would stop in his tracks every minute and listen for a response, but none ever came, no matter how loud he yelled or how far he ran. He must have been searching through the village for over half an hour, and each time he rounded the perimeter he came up empty. Not only Tenten, but it seemed as though _every_ Pearl Moon citizen had vanished. No survivors, no bodies, not a soul therein. Could Tenten have fled with the rest of the villagers? Did she already begin the travel back to River Spirit?

"Hold on! You will be okay, just a little farther!"

_A voice! Someone is still here!_

Without a second thought Lee ventured to the aid of whomever he'd heard, racing to the shadow of three persons slowly emerging from the direction of the arena.

* * *

"Do you see him anywhere?"

Sunlight preened its beaming white feathers unto the landscape, which had drastically transformed underneath the flames as midnight passed over to dawn.

"No, Ino." He said. "I think… I—I think he might be gone."

* * *

He struck up a candle. Tenten's eyes lit up, the deep brown in her eyes highlighted by the fire's gentle light swaying this way and that. It was the only thing that kept them from being engulfed by the swollen, congested, dripping throat of the blackness, the flame's essence breathing passively on the surface of the wall. From what she could tell he was leading her through a narrow hallway of rock, traveling deeper and deeper into the underground cavern. She felt that same "energy" she'd faced several times today resonate from all around her, whisper to her veins, emit a strange warmth in her stomach and in her chest that made her feel safe. And comfortable. And… loved. How was that possible?

_What is this place…?_

Water from the ceiling fell on her shoulder. Soon, the hallway ended and revealed an open low-lit space at its mouth, a wide, enclosed chamber with cubic paper lanterns perfectly placed along the circumference of the curving walls, emanating pale mint blue light within. A chest, a cedar table, and the papers on top of it were the only other decorations the space had to offer.

Neji blew out his candle. They entered the room, bathing in its soft illumination, and seated themselves next to each other at the table. Now was the time to debrief, to lay everything out in all its nakedness. Tenten would make sure of this.

"Why am I here?"

He responded, "This is the safest place from the demon to be. Only a Hyuuga's chakra can access it."

" _Chakra"? I've heard that word before. Isn't it, like, life energy?_ "But... I'm not a Hyuuga."

"As of an hour ago, you are."

Tenten blinked, tilting her head in perplexity. "What are you talking about?"

"The tournament." He said. "After you had won, the elder performed the Linkage ritual for us. It is a rite that newlyweds underwent in ancient times. The intended purpose was to eternally bond two people together in a way that prevents them from being physically separated."

She recalled the old woman who had done some strange magical thing to them at the arena. So that's what that was for. "Is that why our hands are stuck together?"

"I'm not sure." He admitted, holding his chin between his pointer finger and thumb. "This should not be permanent. I suspect that our chakras are in the process of melding and require physical contact to complete the procedure."

"O… kay…" She didn't quite understand (and there was that "chakra" word again), but as long as it wasn't permanent, her concern belonged elsewhere. "How long until it's done?"

"I don't know. An hour should have been enough time, but something is holding the linkage process back."

"Well, I can't be waiting here all day." _I need to find Lee._ "What's keeping it from working?"

"We are strangers."

Tenten was getting tired of having her questions answered in a way that only provoked more questions. She wanted to know what had happened and then leave to search for her family. Was there no concrete answer he could give? One that wasn't totally confusing or excessively ambiguous?

She made to push her bangs out of her face in frustration, but couldn't. Their stupid _hands_.

"Okay." She huffed. "So tell me what needs to be done, _prince_. Tell me what I have to do so I can leave!"

If he took any offense at her mocking tone, he didn't show it. She hadn't seen a single change in his facial expression in the entire time she'd been with him, actually. "As I said, we are strangers. This was a ritual meant for lovers. If the connection isn't there—or rather, if the compatibility isn't there—then it might not work. I can't say what will come of this."

"Oh…" _That's kind of awkward._ "Is there no other way?"

"There may be two." He sounded hesitant. "But… neither are favorable."

The girl scoffed. "Favorable? I'm not exactly picky at a time like this. Tell me what they are!"

"... Very well. You may not like either of them."

Now she was slightly circumspect. He made them sound as if they were such terrible things to do...

He faced her directly, lavender eyes tinted blue in the light of the lanterns. "Give me your other hand."

She almost shivered. His tone was calm and measured, and also soothing in the way that a father speaks to his child, softly and warmly and full of care. Maybe it was the after effects of the pollen, but she felt lightheaded as she wordlessly complied, meeting her hand with his. They locked fingers and locked eyes for the second time that day, the stillness of the room becoming all too obvious.

"Say my name."

"... Umm…"

_Say my name._

"Hyuuga… Neji…"

The first one to break eye contact was him, furrowing his brows in apparent strain. Did saying his name _hurt?_ What exactly did the Linkage do to them?

"Again. Say it again."

She wasn't imagining the hoarseness in his voice, and perhaps there was a hint of desperation and forcefulness in there as well because he gripped her hand tighter, stronger, _needier,_ even, lids closed shut over his eyes. Tenten gulped. Heat rose in her face before she knew it, slightly embarrassed to be seeing such a thing. She glossed her tongue over her dry lips and repeated his name once more, lower than before.

This time he hung his head low and groaned gutturally, his shoulders rising and falling to accommodate laboured breaths. "Are you okay…?" Tenten trailed off, feeling the need to withdraw. Neji promptly lifted his head, and when he finally reopened his eyes she nearly recoiled.

Skin shiny with sweat, heavy-lidded eyes, blush dusted cheeks.

"It is nothing," he said quietly, "there won't be anymore need for that."

She was totally unconvinced. "As if that were _nothing._ What just happened to you?"

"What happened is irrelevant. It was not enough to complete the Linkage, therefore—"

"Wait wait wait," Tenten interjected. "What happens when you say my name instead?"

He stared at her in exasperation. She could tell that he wanted to forget it ever happened.

"I will not." Neji declared, turning away from her. She frowned.

"How is that fair?" A pout formed across her face in that signature Tenten way, puffy cheeks and angry eyes. "This affects me, not just you. I wanna know how it works."

"I… can't."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't want me to."

"Fine." A pause. "Then I'll just say _your_ name a thousand times until you say mine."

The boy threw her a hard glare. "You will _not_." But she had already started.

"Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Neji,"

Tenten took note of the meager little noise that came from him and snickered. How cute.

_Cute? Where did that come from?_

She said it again, slower. "Hyu—ga Neji."

He bit his lip, knit his eyebrows tight, and groaned again, a bit louder this time. The slight pink she'd seen before deepened to a prominent red, lips parted as he panted heavily. She didn't notice him leaning in closer to her, trembling, struggling against his nerves. "Do _not_ —"

" _Neji._ "

Something in him must have burst.

Tenten gasped as she felt his arm wrap around her waist and roughly pull her into his embrace. He literally _clung_ to her back, nails digging into the fabric of her clothes, burying her in his body. His heavy breaths fell on her shoulder, on her neck, and even still he continued to push himself against her, as if he couldn't get close enough to satisfy himself. "Tenten," She inhaled sharply as her name left his mouth in a shaky, desperate breath. "Tenten, Tenten, Tenten."

Her whole body heated up, a flame ignited in her core, branching out to each of her limbs. A peculiar sensation like boiling water bubbled in her belly. Something sparked in her deliciously when he said her name that made her never want to leave his side.

_I have to be near him. I have to be near him. I have to be near him._

That string of words was the only thought that existed in her head. She needed him like she needed air. Tenten hugged her arm around him so affectionately, pulling herself into the heat of his body. If they were any closer to each other, they might melt, because it felt so _hot_ and so deeply _good_ and so inexplicably _right_ to be together. It wasn't natural, this harrowing need to feel him against her, to feel his chest heave against her own, to revel in the way they attracted to each other like magnets. Gods, the urge to squeeze and push and become one with each other was driving her insane, hugging couldn't possibly be enough to satisfy the yearning she felt for the boy she'd only just met.

"Neji…"

" _This was a ritual meant for lovers."_

"... Tenten..."

" _I can't say what will come of this."_

* * *

It was a mutual, unspoken agreement to _not_ discuss the things they'd just done or felt when they came back to their senses. Mortification, shame, disbelief, these were names that they both befriended and wallowed in for a short time until it became bearable. The awkwardness did not go away, but Tenten came to let it slide when she internally accepted, " _Hey, whatever crazy things I felt, you felt, too."_

On the plus side, their hands had finally come undone. She did wonder what that other method he'd had in mind to separate them was, seeing as how he had said there were two… and considering how bad the first option was.

"Well," she spoke, since he didn't yet seem up to the task. "Is the Linkage thing over? Can I go look for my brother, now?"

Neji was sifting around in the chest she had noticed before, looking for who-knows-what. She guessed that he was still unable to look her in the face. What a prideful guy.

When he finally answered, he sounded like he was back to himself, lifting a worn little book out of the chest to stare at it intently. "The answer to both of those questions is no. The Linkage is permanent."

" _Permanent?_ " She echoed incredulously, then narrowed her eyes. "How can that be? You said it kept us from being physically separated. We're not stuck together anymore."

His eyes didn't stray from the book. "That is not what I meant."

"That what _did_ you mean?"

"I understand it better now…" The Hyuuga dubiously claimed. He put the book down and turned his eyes on her, unwavering in tone. "The Linkage ritual works by taking a portion of my chakra and transferring it into your chakra pathway system, and vice versa. My chakra has been permanently sealed within your body, and yours sealed in mine.

"Chakra is directly affected by the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual state of an individual. Though your chakra resides in me, it is still your own. Therefore, _I_ will be partly affected by changes in your own state of mind and body. Strong sensations or strong emotions that you feel, I will feel as well, and the same applies to you."

"Uh… huh…" She nodded, still slightly confused. "So is that why…"

"Saying my name acted as a trigger to call my chakra that is inside your body back to me. My chakra is literally _trapped_ inside you, and it wishes to return to its original host. Thus evoking…" He averted his eyes. "... the need for closeness."

"Oh." _Oh._ "Okay, well… what's keeping me from going outside, then?"

"Two things, the main weaknesses of the Linkage. What keeps us from being physically separated is not being stuck together. You have lost a percentage of your chakra because it has been transferred to me. From now on your body will depend on the portion of my chakra within you, and it cannot be sustained for long if I am too far away. It will dissipate, and you would not have enough chakra to keep you moving."

"And the same goes for you?"

"Yes. If we are too far apart, we will become paralyzed. This is why you should not go outside if I am not there with you… but that is not the worst of it."

Tenten allowed herself to take a deep breath and close her eyes. She was beginning to feel overwhelmed, everything was just _too much_ to cope with, to understand, to accept. Today should have been the day she made her name known across the country. She should have won and used the money to move to the capital. She should have met her idol, the Empress Tsunade, and become a true warrior. She should have made her family proud, but right now she didn't even know if Lee or Gai-sensei were still breathing. It should have been the day that all her dreams came true, but... deep down, Tenten had a feeling that all of that was gone.

"Alright," she said with a distinct command of her own voice. "Tell me. Tell me everything."


	3. Arc I: Clash at Pearl Moon pt 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: gonna stop using honorifics for the most part. I'm worried that readers won't understand them and sometimes they just plain confuse me. I'll keep "Onee-sama," meaning something like "honorable/respected elder sister," "-sama," used to address someone of high regard/status, "-niisan," meaning older brother or someone like a brother, and "sensei," meaning teacher.
> 
> Another note, Tenten is not a hardened ninja or fighter in this story. She is a farmer from the countryside who has only trained with Gai in mixed martial arts—and she's pretty good with a few weapons. I point this out because there are, well, certain responses she has to certain situations that made me think, "wait, what? Tenten would definitely not react in this way." But then I reminded myself that, yeah, Tenten from canon ninja universe is different and would not react that way. Sooo, there's that. Keep reading, please! And remember, ALL FF authors want reviews on their works. It is motivating and constructive for better quality in the future.

Shikamaru wiped the sweat on his forehead away as he took in his surroundings. It was dark. That was good.

The ability to travel by shadow was one that he shouldn't know or ever attempt to do, amongst several others in his reservoir of techniques. He'd theorized it on his own, and only ever attempted it twice before, but the lack of practice, along with the not-so-ideal environment, were the likely explanations of why he was having a heart attack.

Though, it was not quite a heart attack. More accurately, his heart was thumping triple its regular speed. It was pumping so mercilessly, skipping over a beat and then resuming a raging staccato pace with neither warning nor consent. His chest felt full, as if his rib cage was too small to withstand the irate palpitations of his heart. Breathing was an olympic feat to him now as he fought to inhale-exhale at the impossible rate his bloodstream demanded.  Shikamaru supported himself on his arm, hyperventilating, legs just barely able to keep him up.

Half-opened black eyes swam hazily to the paper sliding door that separated him from the Hyuuga girls, whose miserable sobs told him that they were still alive—at least one of them was. Painstakingly, he dragged himself along the wall to the door. The boy forced his body to work, gritting his teeth against the gravity that seemed to push him down.

With a quick forceful push of the slider he shoved himself inside, unprepared for the degree of momentum he used as he dropped on his knees, palms on the floor to brace himself. “ _Shit,_ ” he spared himself a breath to curse, clutching at his heart again. And when he willed himself to look up, his heart stopped altogether.

The mother Hyuuga was dead.

Hinata was dead.

Hanabi stood at the furthermost edge of the balcony, about as far as she could possibly go without falling, holding her lifeless sister on her back as securely as her small body would allow. Her eyes darted up to him the way an alerted dog does, dilated pupils and listless, huffing breaths. She looked expectant, anticipant, anxious, her hands and arms and legs posed in the position he'd seen several other girls perform at the tournament. Instantly, Shikamaru knew.

The killer was still in the room.

Nothing but his will drove him to his feet again...

A million ideas, a thousand possibilities. Now was the time for coherency; his life depended on it.

Shikamaru concentrated. There were more shadows here. He could do this. Weakly, he began to make the signs that had brought him here, the signs that would take him away. As he focused his chakra to prepare for the output of his technique, he sat on his knees. The darkness slowly receded from the walls and corners to where he was much more easily than before, which was perfect, because he barely had enough energy to keep himself conscious after that stunt. They coalesced to a circle at his feet that made it appear as though he was kneeling mid-air over a great black trench. Without looking at her, he commanded in a heavy, tense tone, “Get over here.” He wondered if she would be able to let go of her sister’s body.

She didn’t move. Hanabi turned her head left and right, where the railings ended and dropped 20 feet, as if considering jumping over the edge for an escape route. But, weakened as he was, Shikamaru couldn’t hold the shadows in place forever—and there was no telling when the killer would strike. “Listen,” he groaned, furrowing his brows, “I know you’re scared,” the small girl flinched, “but I can’t stay here much longer—” the shadows rippled and wavered, his control was rapidly losing its stability, “so just _trust_ me and I’ll get us out of here!”

His face turned hot and pink as he worked himself through the strain, waiting for Hanabi to make her decision. It was like lifting a weight over his shoulders that only grew heavier the longer he held it. Shikamaru faced her eye-to-eye. The moon sat idly in the night sky behind her, and he could see the way long lines of tears over her cheeks revealed the anguish she’d suffered in only, what, twenty minutes since he and his friends were up there with them, enjoying the tournament? She couldn’t be any older than twelve… but he had no choice.

“Sorry.” Shikamaru couldn't wait anymore, else it'd be his end, too. At least he could say he tried. “Art of the Deer—”

But she had catered her resolve seconds too late. “N—no, wait, _please!_ ”

“Shadow Control!”

The last thing he saw was her running towards him. A collision, a drop, and he was consumed by blackness.

* * *

Rubbing her temples was the one thing she could do to keep herself from screaming. How could everything go so wrong… Tenten gifted herself a mental recap of everything she'd been told in hopes of steadying herself.

The Linkage. It was an ancient ritual used to exchange the chakra of two people and permanently seal it inside each other.

Chakra. It is the life energy, spirit energy, whatever energy that all living organisms possess.

She now had the chakra of a complete stranger swirling inside her body, and there was nothing she could do to get it out.

She shared a portion of her _life_ with a faux prince, and if they were ever, ever too far away from each other, they would freeze. For the _rest of their lives,_ they risked paralyzation by being apart.

And if one of them died, so would the other.

What worse possible fate could she suffer? The independent, ambitious Tenten, with dreams aimed farther than the eye could see, was trapped. Another person—not even Lee or Gai-sensei, people she could trust—held her life in his hands. She couldn't do it; she just couldn't accept that.

“Is there anything…” her voice trembled, “ _anything_ that can be done to get rid the Linkage?”

Her heart dropped when he shook his head. “There are no records that I know of where anyone has broken it. I'm… sorry.” He spoke his apology in a tone she felt was genuine, and perhaps even angered. “This shouldn't have involved anyone but the Hyuuga. For it to have targeted the entire village… I had no idea it would go so far.”

Tenten did a double take. “Wait. Are you saying that you _knew_ that thing was going to attack?”

He said nothing, not meeting her hard stare. She remembered his warning from when they'd just met—that in thirty seconds, something would try to kill them. That's right… he must have known!

Tenten seethed. The tournament was fake, she was well aware of that, and he knew it just as well. But the fact that he _expected_ the demon to be there made her stomach turn. Nearing a vitriol explosion she shot up from her kneeling position and stomped to the Hyuuga, who was standing by a lantern, still holding the notebook.

“You—you’re despicable! Aren't you the ‘prince’ of this village? Every person—every—everybody was just _eradicated_ , and you knew this would happen! You _let_ it happen!” Acerbic words fired from her mouth like verbal serrated bullets. She didn't even understand what she was saying, she probably didn't mean it either, but the pent up frustration, the uncomfortable hatred and despair stabbing knives in her chest had finally reached its peak and no amount of reasoning or rationality could quell her wrath. She was twice as irritated when he remained unresponsive, calm, turning the pages while she accused him of the world's greatest crime.

“You don't even care, do you? Hundreds of people just died because of you, and you don't even care!”

She caught his eyebrow twitch.

“Are you some kind of psychopath? Don't you feel even a _tiny_ bit guilty?!”

Neji closed the journal.

“That's it, isn't it? You're no different than the monster that killed them.” The green lanterns flickered. She turned her back on him bitterly, rearing to the exit. “I'm leaving! I can't be in the same room as a _disgusting_ human being like—”

He grabbed her arm like steel. Tenten yelped.

“Listen closely to what I say, you petty, insolent woman…” His eyes narrowed hatefully, as if he were face-to-face with his worst enemy.

“What you are doing is spewing whatever you want to satisfy your selfish conscience. You want to place blame in the easiest possible way, the convenient way, in the way that you can understand,” low, quick, tense, a subtle growling aggressiveness and forcefulness that could intimidate a god mingled critically with every single word, “but what your feeble little mind cannot process is that you are compensating for the fact that you haven't the _slightest_ idea what is going on. Think again before you speak of me like that, because I guarantee—I _promise_ that you do not know what you are talking about.”

_Wh… what…_

The lanterns flickered on and off and the temperature in the chamber dropped twenty degrees. The girl gaped at him with wide, wide eyes. She did not take kindly to being insulted, but she was also a sensible person, a voice of reason, and it blew her away to realize that he wasn't completely wrong; he may as well be a hundred percent right. He'd seen right through her logic as if it were a glass wall. “I…” she trailed off. _I must have really made him angry by saying that._ _Did I go too far?_

Tenten pulled her arm away from him and rubbed the place where he had grabbed her; her wrist had slight indentations, red finger-shaped lines glaring from the bruised skin. It hurt.

Neji noticed the marks as well, and she could see some inscrutable blend of surprise and guilt, and perhaps even compunction. Frowning, he averted his eyes and passively withdrew his arm to his side. Silence ensued.

Tenten took this reprieve as a chance to cool down. She wordlessly walked over to the earthen wall and plopped to the ground, knees close to her chest, and observed the ceiling. Her lungs heaved and expelled a wealth of air through her mouth, an exhausted sigh, and she ran her fingers along the umber dirt at her feet, feeling the soft soil leave tiny brown grains on her white sleeve. Her right shoe was missing. It must have been lost at some point of the day's calamity (a shame, it belonged to one of the two pairs of shoes she owned), but she was not even remotely concerned.

Energy was fleeing from her body, evident as she leaned back, dawning her head and the mussled buns of her hair to the wall. Languid limbs shifted until her hand cradled her stiff neck and her other arm hooked around an angled knee. She had no idea what to do, where to go from here. It was all just… too much.

Lazy deep hickory eyes of hers gleaned away from the hypnotizing ceiling and arrived at Neji, who alike rested exactly parallel to her against the opposite wall. His eyes were closed and his legs folded up within each other. Tenten guessed that he was meditating.

_Maybe I should apologize._

She wagered with the idea.

_No way in hell!_

An apology was not a thing that Tenten handed over easily. Growing up with people like Gai-sensei and Lee, one typically was recipient and not giver of a daily “sorry” in repentance for some stupid, silly thing that they did. It just wasn't in her nature to apologize. Especially when she wasn't even sure if she was in the wrong.

But… chances were, he wasn't to blame for anything. She gazed curiously at his motionless figure, moving only to take deep, long breaths. The gentle rise and fall of his shoulders, the light expanding and decompression of his chest, it had a sobering effect on her, made her eyelids feel heavy.

_I don't know. I feel like he's trustworthy. I don't think he had a part in any of this._ She wondered if the Linkage had anything to do with those feelings. _For all I know, he's just as much of a victim here as I am. Victims… all those poor people. I couldn't do anything to help them, and now an entire village is…_

Tenten shivered, interlocking her shaky fingers together. There were _so many_ bodies. Too many.  It haunted her, thinking of the screams and the anguish and the horror that had been dealt that night, and that, for some reason, she was its target. The demon's target. If she had just given herself up, then maybe no one else would have had to die.

_Well, except the “prince” over there._ She remembered sourly, frowning in his direction. _If I die, he dies. If I'm too far away from him, we're paralyzed. This means that… I'm stuck with him. Forever._

The reality of her situation sunk in skin-deep. There would be no return to normalcy when morning comes. It all had just seemed so unreal before; she had genuinely believed in the back of her head that it was a cruel nightmare from which she would awaken in the morning. Now that that tiny, farfetched tidbit of a dream was gone, the hope she didn't know she clung on to, all she had left was acceptance.

_This Linkage thing is ridiculous. Why would newlyweds_ _willingly do this to themselves? Because of love?_

Gai-sensei had once told her that love could drive people to do crazy things. That people in love are crazy.

_But that's just... not practical! I don't see how the positive things about the Linkage come close to outweighing the negatives. What is there that's good about it?_ Tenten honestly could not register a single good reason worth undergoing such a ritual. _Sensei must be right. Lovers are crazy._

Gai-sensei and Lee were still out there. She didn't know where. But she had good faith in them; her family was one with a will to live stronger than anyone on the planet. They were out there, and when the time was right, she would find them.

_Speaking of family…_ She continued, _I wonder what happened to the Hyuuga Clan. His entire family might be dead, too._ Tenten analyzed his expression. It was as collected and calm as ever. His eyes were still closed, entranced in an effortless meditation. _Sure seems_ _like he's handling it well. Maybe the Hyuuga have a secret bunker or escape route like the one we're in right now._

Then Neji's eyes opened—she sheepishly attempted to hide the fact that she was ogling him, quickly tilting her head back to the ceiling. If he noticed this, he didn't say anything about it.

The atmosphere of the room had significantly eased up, and she could breathe easier. A silent acknowledgement graced the two, an understanding that their outbursts were just that—outbursts. Tenten wouldn't let herself lose it again.

He did not yet stand up, but announced something from across the chamber. “There is one person we can see that may have information of use to us.”

Her ears pricked up with a beat. “Really? Who?”

“His name is Jiraiya, the sage of toads. It is said that he defeated Orochimaru long ago.”

“Orochimaru…?” Tenten echoed. “You mean the demon?”

Neji affirmed, relaxing himself from his meditation pose and getting on his feet. His fingertips brushed over that same little notebook again, and Tenten pondered its significance. There must be important things inside it that he wasn't telling her about, and she suspected that it wasn't his, that he hadn't written it. The way his eyelids hung slightly over his eyes as he gazed down at the book, delicately turning the pages, the distinctive tenderness with which he touched the cover. She could tell that it belonged to a special person of his, because she'd seen that look before. In the eyes of lone widows at the tea shops back home, fondly admiring their scratched up wedding rings, or the senior citizens’ nostalgia as they somberly regaled a story from their childhood, reliving in memories like they were young again.

The only difference was, they had been smiling. He wasn't.

A melancholic, wistful, uncomfortable sensation stirred inside her stomach like inky sludge, which wasn't right, because she did not presently have any reason to feel that way. It felt foreign and awkward, the way one might feel wearing someone else's clothing or walking around in a stranger's bedroom. This feeling was not her own.

* * *

...

_“‘Though your chakra resides in me, it is still your own. Therefore, I will be partly affected by changes in your own state of mind and body. Strong sensations or strong emotions that you feel, I will feel as well, and the same applies to you.’”_

_..._

* * *

“Hm.” She placed a palm on her stomach.   _This is the feeling of his chakra inside me…?_

Neji finally left the notebook to be; he probably didn't realize how long he had been looking at it, about two or three minutes. His pensive expression was gone, back to the same indifference she'd seen before. “The procedure for the Linkage was invented by sage toads centuries before humans adopted it. He may know how to break it, or tell us how he defeated Orochimaru.”

“Well, that's perfect,” she expressed, not sounding as excited as she should be. “Where can we find him?”

“I don't know. He might not still be alive.”

“Oh.”

“But,” he added, “anything we can learn about him would be helpful. His life, his writings, techniques, people who knew him, those could give us a better idea of what to do next.”

“Alright…” She was honestly affronted by the way he stated his plans as concrete without even asking for her opinion. Of course, Tenten didn't have much going on back home, living the unknown life of a laborer, but that didn't mean she would immediately abandon everything to embark on some quest to find an old man, which, by the way, sounded quite aimless. He seemed like he wanted to get this done as quickly as possible, and that wasn't fair to her. She still needed time to accept everything that had happened, and going anywhere without finding Lee and Gai-sensei was out of the question. A trip back to River Spirit was very much necessary, too, and that would take days to complete. “But I need to take care of some important things first. How long do you think this would take?”

He did not hesitate, stating the facts objectively. “It could span any amount of time from weeks to years. The Linkage may never be broken. If the toad sage leads us nowhere, then I would not know where else to look.”

Tenten swallowed, only to realize that her entire mouth and throat were dry.  Back to square one, the Linkage being permanent. What would she do if that were the case? Would she just let him move in with her in her home village? Gai-sensei wouldn't like that. But she definitely wouldn't be the one to move in with _him_ instead, not in a place like Pearl Moon…

_Ah, well. I guess he doesn't really have a home anymore._ Pearl Moon was gone. Nobody would go back to living there. She wondered what he would do with himself after everything was sorted out.

“He originates from the Village of the White Leaves. It would be wise to start searching there.”

Tenten tried to recall where the village was. She definitely had heard of it before. “... Oh! That's where Empress Tsunade is from, too!” Her eyes brightened. Anything and everything related to her idol she could recite in a heartbeat, unprovoked. She might have launched into an impromptu oral report on why Tsunade was simply the best ruler to be chosen in decades if there were not more critical things to be dealt with.

Regardless, he did not appear impressed by her input. Stoically, he continued, “Your home village is only a day’s distance from White Leaves. You should be able to stop there before we depart.”

“Right.” _It'll be longer than just a “stop,” though. How does he know that I want to go home first, anyway?_ “Sounds like as good a plan as any. But I really, really need to get back up there and find my brother and sensei. I'm not going anywhere without them.”

“You can't.”

“I _still_ can't?” She repeated, putting her hands on her hips. “Come on, already. I've listened to every single thing you had to say and I haven't heard a single good reason why I can't leave."

Neji replied promptly with a hint of irritation. “I've said it before; this is the safest place to be from the demon. If you go up there now, you won't last the night.”

The girl flinched. He hadn't said anything half as explicit as that, not that she would inevitably be killed if she went outside. “Just… just how powerful is it?”

He kept quiet, not facing her. The air in her lungs squirmed out of her chest. Powerful… well, Lee is plenty powerful. His speed is second to none except for his sensei. His punches could break boulders to smithereens. But… the last she'd seen him…

* * *

 

...

_Lee turned around to flash her a million dollar smile and a thumbs up, facing away from the impending snake monster's head rising above him._

_“LEE!"_

_..._

* * *

 

Tenten shuddered remembering her brother's fate. Faith could only assure her so much…

“Why is it after _me_?”

“Don't overthink things,” he said, which only made her more confused, “it wanted the winner of the tournament.”

“But… why?”

“I didn't realize its true plan until the last minute. It was a foolish oversight.” His words were meshed with annoyance at himself, regretful, vexed. Tenten watched the prince pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration, and she quirked a brow up. She hadn't ever witnessed anyone perform that little gesture besides herself. How odd.

“I am the demon's real target,” he admitted (though it wasn't really shocking), “but it is… incapable of killing me.”

She made a face. “Incapable…? How?”

He didn't get the chance to respond.  

They both sharply twisted their heads up at the ceiling. The lanterns violently shook.

Half a minute of stillness Tenten persisted to decide that it was safe to move. She heightened, standing up. “What was—”

_CRASH._

The world lost its definition.

_Out_ went the lanterns and the oxygen she inhaled. Avalanches upon avalanches growled above, high resonant sounds like roaring explosions shrieking into the earth. Gravity renounced its claim on her body and Tenten couldn't even scream as she was hurled across the dim chamber and crashed into the meek virgin table, instantly crushing it with her back and aimless flailing legs. Pain throbbed all over. Blinded by dark spots floating in and out of her vision, she tried to sit up, but then everything was shaking again.

Her ears fell deaf and things were moving too fast to be processed. The ground quaked as if it were a jar being juggled carelessly by a giant. Tenten had no control of her body being tossed like a doll back and forth across the room. Soon the shaking dwindled to shuddering vibrations, but it would only be so long until they started up again. The girl groaned as she stirred, consciousness barely within her grasp. No broken bones or dripping blood to count, that much was a blessing, yet the chances of a dormant concussion were very much real and dangerous. Another tremor like that and she could be in trouble.

She noticed that Neji had suspiciously remained stable throughout the entire episode, unlike her. Still quite dizzy and recovering, Tenten crawled sluggishly to where he was and feebly tugged on his pants, and he looked at her, bending to her level.

“Neji… Wha… I mean… what did—”

“Don't say anything,” Neji whispered with urgency, veins protruding around his eyes again, “it's trying to find us.”

She gawked at his visage in disbelief. An earthquake was the work of _the demon_ ? And that thing thirsted for her life? Just how powerful could it possibly be—and what chance did she have against something like that? What chance did _Lee_ have? If its attentions were on her now, then Lee must already be…

But Neji pushed her down roughly as the ground’s convulsions got brutal again. He leaned over her supine body closely, their stomachs nearly touching and legs messily entwined together. The Hyuuga’s hands were on either side of her head, and his eyes were fiercely fixated on her face.

“Hold on!” He commanded, his loose dark hair falling freely like a river around her. Chunks of dirt and rock thudded down from the collapsing earthen ceiling. Her heart thumped raucously in her chest, she seized the front of his kimono-shirt with both hands and clung to it for dear life, squeezing her eyes tightly shut and grimacing in preparation for the next seismic episode.

This time it was not as severe, but still the farthest thing from gentle. Everything rumbled and rocked and shook aggressively, stray lanterns rolling and crashing about the chamber like spheres in a pinball machine. Tenten felt the tremors directly thump against her back, and her body bounced upwards with each short quake. She was expecting to be joggled this way and that like before, yet, something was holding her in place.

And then she opened her eyes again to reveal the lilac ones intensely staring down at hers, concentrating on something. Startled, she quickly turns her head (why does he have to _stare_ like that?) to its side.

_Whoa!_

She now had a clear view of his left hand. There was a blue light emanating from his palm which was flatly pressed on the ground, and when she swiveled her head around to the other side she saw the same effect. Tenten goggled the cerulean light until the earthquake faltered a minute later and he removed himself off of her.

_That was his chakra,_ the girl analyzed in her thoughts, _and he was using it to hold himself in place._

Tenten stood up as well. The aching pain from the table came rushing back all over. She hissed.

_That’s… unbelievable..._

Eventually, the aftershocks vanished altogether. The chamber looked disastrous, and the white of her shirt had been dyed dirty grays and browns. One fleeting glance at her and anyone would be able to tell that Tenten was stressed and exhausted. Sweaty, stringy bangs stuck to her forehead like winding limp weeds, the buns loosely drooping below her ears, and her eyes were so, so tired. Still, she took no leisure seconds to relax this time after the earthquake. The next trauma would rear its ugly face at any glimpse of given reprieve and allowing herself to take a breather was dangerous.

“We can leave in a few hours. You should rest.” Said a distant voice she barely heard.

Tenten watched the wall and did not think. She did not think. She stared lifelessly into brown and her mind did not wander. Her eyes, a cold, departed void glazed over stock-still, and she did not think.

* * *

He sat seiza-style on his calves with his hands pressed hard on his thighs, clutching his tattered clothing. Lee was staring strictly at the two bodies laid out on the floor, a girl and boy his age. One was breathing. The other was not.

Troubles littered muddy tracks on the path of his heart. Though he was grateful that he could save three people (and still had a duty to help them, because they were in very poor shape), Lee could not erase other pressing worries. Gai-sensei had his complete and undying confidence, there was no need to fear for his teacher, but… Tenten…

_No! You mustn't think like that!_ He insisted, furrowing his thick eyebrows, _So long as I have faith in Tenten, she will be okay!_

If only the other girl could mimic such spirits, though! She was also around his age, younger for certain, and she was so quiet, hadn’t spoken a word since he found her coming from the arena. She had been carrying a person on her back and all but dragging the boy inch by inch forward. How fortunate it was that Lee could chance upon them indeed!  

It was obvious that the girl on the floor was an important person to her. Lee sobered.

“Ah, miss?”

He smiled when she looked at him.

“It would be an honor if you would tell me your name!”

She returned her attention back to the wall.

“Oh, but how rude of me! It should be I that introduces myself first.”

With a jump, Lee pulled his best nice guy pose and presented a fat “thumbs up” to her, toothy grin and all. “My name is Rock Lee, the Handsome Green Beast of River Spirit! It is a pleasure to meet you, miss!”

She had the same funny look on her face that most people had when he introduced himself that way. He did not break his pose until she relented begrudgingly, “I am Hanabi of the Hyuuga Clan.”

There was no emotion in her voice, legs pulled up to her chest with her face buried in her knees. Her eyes peeked out and hypnotically stared at the unconscious girl. The cottage they escaped to was small and eerily silent, and though it was obvious that someone had lived there, its utter vacancy left no souls behind.

Lee beamed that it was nice to meet her, and if he were any more oblivious he might have offered to shake her hand, but even he knew that this was not a good time.

“Would this be a relative of yours?” He asked innocuously with a slight tilt of his head. As she responded with silence, he followed up, “You do not need to worry, she will most certainly be okay!”

“You can't promise that.”

He insisted, “But I will! You must have more faith, Hanabi-san. Surely she will awaken and prove your doubts—”

“She's barely breathing, you lummox!” Hanabi lashed and fired her steely white eyes at him, glowering as if _he_ was the one at fault. “She is _dying_ , and your meaningless promises do nothing but sully the name of my Onee-sama!”

Quietness resumed.  Lee was stunned and hurt, and not only because she insulted him, but horrified at how little hope existed inside this child. She could not be older than twelve—how _sad_ was it that she wasted her youth despairing in such a way? There could not be anything worse!

“Forgive me if I am being intrusive, Hanabi-san, but it seems as though _you_ are the one who is truly dishonoring your sister’s name!”

“... What did you just say?”

“You aren't giving her a chance!” He challenged, exploding with wide arm gestures. “You know, I am also concerned for the well-being of my sister. She escaped with the prince at the tournament, but now I have no idea where she is or if she is safe…”

“...”

“Still, I will not accept that she is gone unless I see it for myself, and you should not either, Hanabi-san! We owe it to our sisters to believe in them while they fight for their lives! Do you not agree?”

Hanabi lifted her head an inch and reached for her sister's lifeless delicate fingers. She intertwined them with hers and squeezed a gentle pressure, somberly admiring them. The girl's features softened. Lee smiled.

“... h… er…”

The feeble voice croaked out of the other boy, whom hitherto hadn't said or done anything, or even opened his eyes. Immediately Lee rushed to his side and listened closely, lowering himself to his level. The boy weakly moved his shaking arm at the pace of a snail to his side, and then pointed at a bulge in his side pocket. “Give it… to…”

“Don't strain yourself anymore, I understand you.” Lee gently assured, an unusual tone of voice for him. The younger lad groaned a sound that was vaguely reminiscent of the word “Ino” and returned to sleep.

Estranged but compliant, Lee carefully picked the object from his pocket and held it close to his eyes to see better in the dim lighting. It was a capsule with white pills inside. He read it aloud as best he could, “Anti… venom?”

Hanabi flinched.

“He has anti-venom?!”

“It seems so!” He cheered, following the sudden energy in her voice. “What an odd item to carry in one's pockets, though! Perhaps he is a—”

“No, no! Onee-sama was bitten, this might save her life! Give it to me, quickly!”

"Oh!” Went Lee as he tossed the tablets over to her. “That is excellent, Hanabi-san! Do you see now? You believed in your sister, and now she really will pull through!”

The heavy tension that had labored the atmosphere up until then evaporated, replaced by gratitude and hopefulness. Hanabi nodded, head turned away from him purposefully to conceal the overflow of tears running miles down her cheeks. “Y… yes…” She peeped, a sob in her throat, “p—please find some water for her to take these…”

* * *

 

**May 3rd**

* * *

 

What is a morning without sunlight?

She considered this quietly when the dry slits of her parted eyelids revealed themselves to empty black.

Mays in River Spirit often harbored early summer seasonings and soon to be sweltering heat to help foster the crops roasting in the field. Manageable t-shirt or tank top weather was welcomed in the aftermath of a rainy March and April, as this time of the year, again, just before true summer, was one of the lightest in workload. Post-winter chores consisted of clearing excess snow, re-towing the crop lines, planting and marking seeds, etcetera, and it always resulted in a stiff back and aching feet. This season played out differently. Everyday she would awaken in her “bedroom”, the barren attic she shared with Lee, and rays highlighting the million floating dust particles in the air would filter through the blinds of the window nearest her bed with no impending eight hour strings of immortal labor. On these days, it would signal the introduction of a day of ease.

For this reason, Tenten struggled to fathom how a May morning could really be a May morning without sunlight. It did resonate well with her understanding of the world.

Then again, nothing did anymore. Not after last night.

She did not remember falling asleep and definitely did not feel well-rested. The lanterns were down for the count, and as they were underground, no natural light could relieve the darkness. Tenten groaned, stretching her arms and legs and batting away the dirt that clung to her clothing. Squinting, she stood up, and used the wall as guidance to move around.

“Are you still here?” She asked of the air in the most inconsequential of voices. Her throat was dry and it hampered her ability to speak.

“I am,” Neji replied, and she found him by looking in the direction she heard him from. The brightness of his clothes was easy to spot in the dark. She did not yet move towards him. “We should leave now.”

Tenten didn't say anything.

A few minutes later and they were treading the narrow stone stairs to the exit, him in front and her lagging slightly behind.  Each thud of their footfalls brought them closer to the surface world. Fear and tentative hope combatted each other inside her head. The moment of truth awaited.

Neji pressed his hand against the wall of dirt, and the blue light of chakra brightened his face. The door was materialized into existence.

“Byakugan!”

He moved his head in every direction, up and down and left and right and everywhere in between. Tenten thought nothing of this.

The door opened. They walked out.

Had she the powers to accurately assess how she felt upon seeing the new world, she might have reacted differently.

Instead of stepping back into the sea of the tall Pearl Moon flower field, where the bulbs had been white and stalks verdant, they faced an endless earth of black spit by the horizon. Charred raven stringy weeds humbly surrendered to the superior crunching hail of their feet, because meager burnt stems were all that remained. The sky was a gray barren wasteland where gathered clouds clogged together and sweated groggy warm rain.

Her eyes were big and mouth wordlessly agape. Horror coursed through her veins like staggering adrenaline. _All of this happened just last night?_ The image of what once was and what was _now_ made her question reality. _It's all gone…_

But when Neji and Tenten approached the great mass of black debris and ash looming at the edge of the field, she saw something on the ground. And she lost it.

“Haha,”

Giggles fought their way out of her throat.

“N—no way,” she sputtered with laughter, “this—haha—this can't be happening, I…”

The Village of Pearl moon had succumbed to fire last night. Houses were black cinders scattered about the ground, pooling to dusty channels in streams birthed by rain. Scattered limbs of broken wood littered the streets, rooftops cluttered above, and a mile of devastation going farther back. The rain thinned to sharp icy needles assaulting their bodies, the coming of a storm surely in the skies.

But rain could not disguise the fat ugly tears that began to form the threads of her eyelashes to the thirsty dry gravel below. Wet stains formed on her pants, on her hands, as the salty plump droplets plummeted to a woeful splash. Tenten brutishly shoved her fists’ heels in her eyes and vigorously rubbed away the tears, trying to force them away, but they poured and plundered and the laughter died in her stomach to hysterical  hiccuping sobs. She had no more hope left.

The shredded green fabric of a jumpsuit at her feet had taken it away.

 


	4. Arc I: The Blackening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve learned just today that Lee does not ever use contractions, so that has been corrected (even though I’m sure no one noticed or cares?). This is a super short update. Might be a little boring.

 

* * *

...

_The visions were getting worse._

_They had started on her tenth birthday three years ago. Often they were insignificant little insights, such as the time she would wake up the next morning or what the chefs planned to prepare for dinner. In no way did they compromise her daily life, it worked as a quick image in her mind that took only a second-long pause, and boom, she knew that it was going to rain at noon. Ino had arrived at the conclusion that she was a psychic, and planned to keep it a secret on account of two facts. One, it really was not so fantastic a power considering the uselessness of her visions. Two, no one would believe her anyway, because most of what she saw was easily predictable. So, yes, she just accepted that she had an advantage over everybody in life, and that was how things were meant to be._

_But then it hadn't become so easy to live with. When she dreamed that the milkman’s horse would rage and crash his carriage into a shop, and that Otonashi-san’s house would be destroyed by a storm, the time came to be more concerned. Sometimes it didn't even need to be laid out for her because there weren't just visions, there were_ premonitions _—she would get this_ feeling _that a misfortune awaited come the afternoon._

_And when she turned eleven and foresaw an unsturdy pillar plummet and instantly kill a man, she chose to confide in her parents with her problem._

_Their reaction was one of sorrow, and not surprise or disbelief. Her mother pulled her into her arms and hugged her tightly, and her father pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head to himself. “Ino, Ino, my daughter, Ino…” He had said. “I’m so sorry that this has happened to you…”_

_She began to get worried and had asked, “Mom, dad, you’re scaring me. What are you talking about? What’s going on?”_

_The truth revealed to her was one that would change her life._

_Once in a generation, her father regaled, a child with the ability to see glimpses of the future was born into the Yamanaka Clan. Some of their family theorized that it was a rare, advanced version of their traditional clan abilities (because they already possessed “visionary” powers, so to speak), but really, there was no explanation for it, scientific or other. However… as the past dictated, it was no gift from the gods. It was a curse, for all records of those born with the “Foresight” shared the same grim fate._

_Each and every one of them had disappeared._

_“What happened to them, dad?” Her younger self persisted, squeezing his fingers, “were they taken? Did… did they_ die _?”_

_His face was long and labored, as if he’d aged ten years in mere minutes. The man sighed, tenderly pushing her bangs out of his daughter’s wavering eyes. “We don’t know. Nobody knows. But that won’t happen to you, Ino. I won’t let it. Everything will be okay, so don’t worry about it, alright?”_

_“You promise?”_

_“I do. But… listen. There are some important things that I need you to hear...”_

...

* * *

Two and a half years later and Ino’s life had taken to a different course. Her father had withdrawn her from public school, and she began a private tutorship at home. It was the best course of action, he’d said long ago, to prevent any possible mishaps if she stayed around the only people that knew about her “condition.” Everybody in their clan had been told, and it was made law to never speak or ask her about it, only to accept the abnormality and leave her to be.

The power had not relented even slightly, though. Rarely nowadays did she ever see something so explicit and traumatizing as a person’s death—rarely, but not never—and there were times when she desperately wanted to act on her visions, to see if the future could be changed, but that clashed with one of her father’s three grand commandments for her power. Severe consequences awaited if they were violated.

There was the first rule, the hardest one to keep.

_“Do not attempt to change the future.”_

The second rule, the hardest to prevent.

_“Do not allow anyone to look into your eyes while having a vision.”_

The third rule, the one that made her feel like a traitorous criminal and a liar.

_“Do not tell anyone about your power or your visions.”_

All of which were incredibly difficult things to do. Especially now, when she had literally broken all three in the span of a night.

These were the thoughts running rampant through her skull when she awoke from a restless sleep. Ino arose in the company of two members of the opposite sex. It was raining outside.

One was a (now) fourteen year old boy named Chouji. He was short, tolerant, with a kind heart and unique appreciation for the little things in life. She had met him on the basis of an “arranged friendship” when she was twelve. Their mothers were close acquaintances, so the equation demanded that their children become the same. As the heir to the wealthy Yamanaka and only child of two parents, Ino was, to put it nicely, used to getting her way. She also had very few friends (an unsurprising fact, given her upbringing) and little to no experience dealing with people her own age or being considerate of others’ feelings.

“Mom,” she had warned, “I _don’t_ wanna be ‘friends’ with that fatty.”

So it hadn’t been much of a friendship at first. However, this Akimichi Chouji turned out not to be half bad. From him, Ino learned to not make judgements or assumptions about people before getting to know them (with some justifiable exceptions, though). Through him, she met her second friend, Shikamaru of the Nara Clan.

Unfortunately, he was not the second male in the room.

Last night. What happened?

Images played in her head like a dark horror movie.

The tournament. The tower. The vision. The flames.

 _Could this have happened because of me?_ The question haunted her. _Because I broke dad’s rules?_ It sounded absurd, but in actuality… the likeliness of it was quite plausible.

Ino froze, blood draining from her face. How could she live with herself if that were true? There was still so much unknown about the power of the Foresight. Bad things were promised to happen if the rules weren’t followed, terrible things, but for it to scale to a disaster of _this_ magnitude—an _entire village_ wiped out in twelve hours—Ino had never been more petrified of her power.

It started when, on her travel to Pearl Moon with Shikamaru and Chouji, she had gotten a vision of someone’s ankle getting bitten by a brown, purplish snake. It wasn’t revealed who was bitten or when it would happen, but she got the sense that it was poisonous, fatal, even, and seeing as how it was the first time in her life that she’d been so far away from her parent’s influence, Ino had taken the liberty to stop by a hospital on their trip and purchase some anti-venom. “Just in case,” the girl had explained to her curious friends. The first rule didn’t make much sense, she reasoned. Why _wouldn’t_ one want to change the future, save a life, given the chance?

Well, that must have been a mistake, seeing where she was now.

She sat there for a while. It was still raining.

_Dad… I don’t know what to do. What am I supposed to do?_

Her eyes leaned to her snoozing friend, whose drool dangled from his chin to his scarf. She frowned, disgusted.

But she didn’t look away. Her eyes scanned him, thoughtful. She had already broken all of the rules, and the first two were irreversible. Shikamaru had gotten a front row seat to her eyes up close and suffered some unknown damage for it. And twice, she’d tried to change the future based on her visions. The last rule, though… it was possible to undo it, perhaps lessen the cosmic repercussions.

Her expression hardened. At this point, doing anything seemed better than nothing.

Ino found her bag and searched for one of the colorless gemstones inside. When she found it, she took a deep, shaky breath. This had to be the right thing to do, spare herself more heartache in the future.

Silently, Ino moved the stone to his forehead and held it there with her index and middle fingers. Her other hand formed the hand seal for the technique. Putting the Foresight aside, the Yamanaka Clan possessed an arsenal of techniques that dealt with the human mind.  Memory, emotions, thoughts, her family had the ability to manipulate them all. Some considered this to be quite sinister, actually, which was one of the reasons why they had started anew two generations ago by migrating the entire clan to the Village of the Fire Rat. Now that she thought about it, Ino didn’t know the full explanation behind that bit of their history… but that was hardly important, not at the moment.

“Art of the Boar: Memory Distortion!”

It worked exactly as it sounded.

Ino closed her eyes and concentrated. In her mind’s eye a million pictures floated to life, animated scenes that played to her like cuts of a movie. All of them were from Chouji’s point of view, and they moved _fast_ , as if on fast-forward. She struggled to scoop through his recent memories until she found the one she wanted—where she had told him about her vision, about Pearl Moon being invaded. That needed to be removed.

The girl rewatched it again and again and again, making sure that she had everything memorized from the decor of the pagoda to the details of her face, and mentally clung onto that scene in the forefront of her mind. And then, the hardest part, she put her all into extracting that memory from his consciousness, subconscious, and any other residual traces of it there might be in the furthest recesses of his mind. If even the slightest vestige of it remained, other problems might arise.

But it was taking longer than she thought to take it out. The success of the Memory Distortion technique all depended on the ability of the user to concentrate and how important the memory was to the person. Ino never would have thought that Chouji held on to it so closely, because why would he? It was as if his mind was rigidly _refusing_ to have that short little scene removed. She pulled and pulled, and it took nearly ten minutes to perfectly remove it, its essence floating into the gemstone and coloring it bright lime green.

Ino wiped sweat from her forehead. That was way harder to do than expected.

_Thump thump thump._

Three shallow knocks from the other side of the door shocked her out of her entranced stupor.

“Are any of you awake yet?”

It was the low feminine voice of an adult woman, she assessed. But…

 _… Hold on. Where_ are _we?_

Yellow wallpaper, patterned with rubber ducks and slippers, surrounded her in an orthodox little room, with one iron bedpost in the far left corner. A variety of flower paintings lined the walls with other miscellaneous decor, and gold mesh curtains embraced two grand mahogany windows through which she could guess that she was on the second floor of a house. The word “quaint” came to mind when describing it. It seemed the type of room to be designed by a mom with a fancy for antiques and a lot of time on her hands. She might have appreciated the cheery, old-fashioned aesthetic more if not for the myriad problems that demanded her attention.

_How did we get here?_

“Hello?” The knocks persisted, “I’ve made breakfast, and there’s a medic next door who can check up on your friend.”

“Um…” Both offers sounded excellent at the moment, but she still didn’t know why she had, apparently, spent the night in a stranger’s abode. “T—that sounds great, thank you...?”

“Of course. Come downstairs when you’re ready.”

A gradual fade of footsteps echoed from the hall beside the door. The woman had left.

Ino exhaled a bellyful of air, grateful that nothing _else_ had gone horribly wrong, and nudged the shoulders of her sleeping friend. “Chouji!” She whispered, “Chouji, wake up!”

The boy stirred, moaning something about fried chicken. She huffed, frustrated, and pinched his cheek.

“Bwuha!” He yelped. His hand rushed to the assaulted area and massaged it, wincing, squinting as he tried to make out his surroundings despite the morning grogginess. “Ow… what’s going on...”

“You tell me! I wake up, and I find that we’re sleeping in some lady’s house! What happened, Chouji?”

“Ino…?” His words slurred, eyes still closed. “I’m… f… the refrigerator...”

 _He’s half-asleep!_ “You’re getting on my last nerves…” She drawled, though she was very much tasking to hold back the snickers in her throat. “This is _so_ not the time to be joking around…”

“Hm… is it… it’s morning? Wake—wake up, Ino... We gotta… gotta get to Tenten’s tournament…”

The rumbling laughter in her stomach withered instantly. She sobered, furrowing her eyebrows. Her cerulean eyes glistened with regret, and sadness, and overwhelming distress and the pent up frustration and she was crying before she knew it, lowering her head and silently weeping. Her whole body shuddered, shoulders shaking.

“Ino…? Don’t cry. It’s okay…”

“It’s _not!_ ” She screeched and she covered her eyes, sniffling and hiccupping and violently hyperventilating, snot mingling with the parade of salty tears falling from her ducts. “It’s—it’s my fault, everything is my fault, I broke—” a sniffle, “—I broke dad’s r—rules and I,” a gasp, “—I acted on my Foresight and the entire village is gone and—and—”

“Ino… Ino, stop,” His eyes were still closed as he interrupted, placing a tender hand on her shoulder. “You’re not making sense. Just talk to me, Ino, what’s wrong?”

She stuttered with sniffles. “Wh—wh—what do you _mean_ what’s wrong? I—I—I’m the reason Shikamaru d—died, he died in the village and it’s all my _fault_ …”

Chouji pulled her into his arms. Her eyes widened, her body went rigid. Time froze like winter, and it seemed that the only things moving in the stillness were the tears flowing down and the rapid beating of her heart. It didn’t feel right to have him console her, not when she had wronged him, kept secrets, when she’d caused him such grief, when _her_ choices had let to the death of his best friend, but it felt so good to indulge in his solace. She needed to know that he didn’t hate her, and that things were going to be okay, and they would get through this. The girl gripped his sides and sobbed into his shoulder, emptying her soul and the toxic guilt into the air, shaking. He rubbed her back and said nothing. Part of her wished that he would lash at her, leave, never speak to her again, so then maybe she could pay for the choices she’d made. But he didn’t. And she was more grateful than he would ever know.

_Chouji’s still on my side._

“So… are you okay, Chouji? About what happened… Shikamaru…”

“Sorry, Ino… I don’t know what you mean. What happened to the village? Who is Shikamaru?”

Silence stabbed hard and twisted the invisible wound.

Her heart might have burst that second.

* * *

Hyuuga Hinata’s heart had stopped beating around 5 am last night. The poison had been too far in her bloodstream to be counteracted by the anti-venom, it was too late to have any effect, and so she silently crossed the great divide and left the Earth for good.

Hanabi was the type of person who liked to consider the meaning and purpose of things.

She believed that her Onee-sama went peacefully and did not suffer pain during her last hours, and mother as well. With the help of the odd green-clad boy, she was able to properly bury Hinata and honor her in the village. But besides Onee-sama’s grave, there was nothing left in Pearl Moon for her. The pagoda tower had collapsed, and mother’s corpse was nowhere to be found. She had no place to go, nothing to live for, and no one left in the world that cared about her.

What was she supposed to do now?

Well, currently she was back in the hut where they had stayed overnight with a Rock Lee and Nara Shikamaru. She owed both of them a great debt, but what meaning did that have? Those two would simply return to their own villages and continue on with their lives. And she would be left here.

Hanabi was not a girl of many tears; she’d already cried a lifetime of them over past 24 hours. So no more would she weep for her deceased. They wouldn’t want that. But what new road had destiny paved for her now? She had no idea what to do next. Pearl Moon was gone.

_I am the sole survivor of the Hyuuga Clan._

She clenched her fists. How _dare_ that vile snake violate their arrangement. It was ancient Hyuuga law carved in the stars—it was only supposed to take _Neji-niisama_ , and even then it had to wait until he fathered a child…

_Ah. Neji-niisama might still be alive._

The girl pondered this.

_Should I seek him out?_

Neji-niisama had never been kind to her. He was distant, seclusive, and rightfully so, perhaps, considering the gruesome fate assigned to him at birth. She pitied him, really. His only reason for being born was to die a sacrificial lamb. Such an undeserved, meaningless existence.

Well. It was also possible that he’d escaped his fate. For now.

“Ahh…” Hanabi moaned, the drumming of a headache throbbing in her skull. Electric pain flared behind her eyes. She closed them, rubbing her temples. It hurt to think. She didn’t want to think about anything anymore.

“Hanabi-san.” Chimed Rock Lee at her left.

“...?”

“What type of person was your sister?”

He was sifting in the wound she wanted to bandage. She didn’t want to think about it.

“Onee-sama was…” Her lips moved without her consent. “She was kind. And gentle. And she always cared for others, always tried her hardest, no matter how pointless it was.” Pictures of her sister’s smile flashed in her mind. But she didn’t want to think about it. “And she was soft… too soft, but passionate. She never told lies, put everyone’s feelings above her own. She must have had the purest soul in the world.”

“She sounds like a wonderful person, Hanabi-san.”

“She was.” Hanabi pursed her lips. “Why are you asking me this?”

“Because I would like to request something of you.”

He got down on one knee before her, fist piked in the dirt as if punching it. She quirked an estranged eyebrow.

“What are you…”

“Come back with me to my village, Hanabi-san!” He stole her hand from her lap and held it within his own. His eyes dazzled as they gazed into hers, perfectly black circles facing her white-lavender ones. “You can live with me and my sister and my sensei, and we can grow stronger together!”

Hanabi stared back. Faint pink surfaced to her cheeks.

_He is… mesmerizing…_

She blinked and snapped back to her senses. Quickly she swiped her hands away from his grasp and held them close to her chest, as if wounded. They were warm.

“Ah, I apologize, Hanabi-san!” He said, grinning wide. “I should not invade your personal space. Tenten is always reminding me to respect the boundaries of others.”

“Tenten?”

“Tenten, yes! That is the name of my precious sister. It would be excellent if you could meet her!”

 _Tenten…_ Her eyes widened. _That was the winner of the tournament. She is the sister he speaks of?_

“So what do you say, Hanabi-san? Will you return with me to my village?”

She struggled for words, rubbing her wrist for some reason. “Why… why would you offer that to me? You don’t know who I am. You don’t know anything about me.”

“Ah, well… That was why I asked you what your sister was like. After hearing you describe her, I just knew that you were a good person!”

She almost smiled. How naive could a person possibly be? His innocence was unheard of. No one in Pearl Moon would extend a hand to a perfect stranger so generously, never offer to welcome them into their house based on one question. Hanabi was accustomed to believing the worst in people, in their darkest colors, but… Rock Lee. He was also pure of heart. She knew this, now.

And he reminded her of Onee-sama.

Her eyes shone. Could this be a sign?

“You said… grow stronger together…” Her voice was strangely soft. “Rock Lee, what did you mean by that?”

The boy’s face visibly darkened. He lowered his eyes.

“You see...” he solemnly began, “I simply cannot forgive that demon for what it did. For an entire village to be vanquished by its hands, and then to let it go free… I could not live with myself if I let that happen.”

“So…” Disbelief curled on her tongue, “you mean that…”

“Yes! I will train harder than I ever have with my sensei, and I will become stronger so that I can make it pay for its crimes!”

She was almost speechless—almost insulted that he’d suggest such a thing. Was this bravery or insanity at its finest? “Are you serious? How could you possibly defeat the demon when it _destroyed_ my entire village within hours?”

“I know that it will not be easy, Hanabi-san. That is why I promise to you that I will train my hardest until I am strong enough, even if it takes my whole life!”

“You’re being an _idiot!_ ” She snapped. Her voice hung in the air and she immediately felt guilty, seeing the hurt expression on his face. Hanabi followed up in a quieter tone, “... It isn’t wise to make promises you can’t keep.”

“Rock Lee is not a man that breaks his promises.” Oddly stern was his voice. “But you did not allow me to finish, Hanabi-san. I do not intend to face the demon alone.”

Again, Lee’s eyes locked with hers. The world was still.

“By grow stronger together, my meaning was this. You and I, our combined power, someday, will face that demon and gain retribution for what it did to your sister.” Pause. “Will you help me to do that, Hanabi-san?”

The entire day, she had mourned for her family and worried over what she was going to do. What meaning her existence now had. Since the day she was born, it had been drilled into her skull that her purpose for living was to become a strong warrior for the Hyuuga Clan. Now, the clan was charcoal ash at her feet, wiped from the face of the earth instantaneously and her future along with it.

But here was someone offering her a new reason to live.

Rock Lee carried the comatose Nara Shikamaru on his back as he stepped over limbs of scorched wood decorating the village. She walked behind him. They approached the dipping sun, heralded by the bleak horizon and blackened graveyard of flowers. That day, her eyes changed. That day, something died inside Hyuuga Hanabi, and in its place a burning black fire emerged and alighted her core with the all-consuming drive to seek out one thing and one thing only.

The trio left Pearl Moon.

From that point on, she walked a singular narrow path with one destination.

_So this is my answer._

Revenge.

* * *

Tenten walked the sea of cinders with a black heart. The rain clung to the threads of her clothing and made each footstep feel twice as heavy, and her skin was cold, eyes downcast, the ghosts of two hanging over her head like constant stress and grim regret. Unexplained, Neji strode in the direction of the Hyuuga estate and like a puppet led by his strings she followed his wake subliminally, slow and two feet behind. Inside, she was hollow and dense at the same time, walking, walking, without really caring about what she was doing or where she was going.

Her eyes stung; they were red and throbbed in their sockets as they were spent for moisture. Each breath was hard to endure as they drifted from her lungs to her pipes to her nose, because the guilt was overwhelming, that she was still above ground, she was still breathing and the two closest things to family she’d ever had were not. They were dead.

_Lee… Gai-sensei… why did you leave me all alone?_

It was so cold she was shivering, teeth chattering. The sounds of thunder boomed in the overlooming clouds and she remembered her brother’s last words.

* * *

  
...

_"Gai-sensei will be here to assist me soon," He assured her. "So please, hurry! I promise we will find you!"_

...

* * *

 

Her eyebrows furrowed, wiping at her eyes with her already wet sleeves.

_Lee, you liar… I’ll never forgive you…_

She took a deep, shaky breath through her mouth and exhaled. The piece of green fabric from one of their jumpsuits she had found was held tightly in her hand. Tenten looked to it, contemplative, sad, and closed her eyes. When her lids fell shut she could see both of them again in all their rambunctious splendor—sensei’s _thumbs up_ when she’d perfected the high jump, the pride on his face as he added merciless spices to his curry, their gleeful, supportive cheers when she left for her first match in the tournament, Lee’s confident promise, forever unfulfilled. It hurt, hurt so much that those times were over. And that she would never see them again.

 _But…_ her mind chided, _but you guys are definitely watching over me, right?_

She almost grinned. She could imagine them shouting from the tops of the clouds, _“Yes, we are, Tenten! Do not forget—the power of youth flows strong within you!”_

Tenten lifted her head. All that talk about “the power of youth”, she had never understood it. She _still_ didn’t understand it. Lee certainly seemed to get it. Gai-sensei would never explain, only assure that it was inside of her. Whatever that meant.

_I think I’ll figure it out someday._

And she would.

Someday.

* * *

_“... have confirmed that there are no known survivors in the coordinated attacks that left five villages along the border of Hashirama’s Mountains in cinders last night. It is believed that…”_

A groan awoke the dust particles fleeing from the light shifting in through the curtain’s parting. The man struggled to open his eyes, and when he did he saw the glaring white of a wide ceiling. He groaned again, straining himself to rise up and—backtrack, backtrack, the searing hot plaguing literally every inch of his body sharply shocked his nerves. There was no moving from this bed.

_“... Empress Tsunade has declared a state of level one emergency for all nearby villages as professionals issued by the capital investigate the remains…”_

He turned his head to see yellow wallpaper, decorated with… were those rubber duckies?

_“... stay indoors until it is deemed safe…”_

The radio on the antique shelf next to him spoke blurred words that, in his disorientation, failed to register properly in his brain. He caught bits and pieces, but those little blurbs of information divulged nothing useful to him.

_“... attack may have started in the Village of the Pearl Moon and continued on through the Village of the Lilac Valley, Yellow Crest Alley, the Village of the Fire Rat, and the Village of the River Spirit…”_

And lightning struck him atop his shiny black head and sent him hurtling back to lucid reality.

Lee, Tenten. Where were they?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I did a lot of research about Hanabi before deciding to make her a main character in AEUCSBY, and I learned that, personality-wise, she was actually very similar to pre-Shippuden Neji. They both shared the same fatalistic views and were quite hardened in nature, which is how I’ve decided to portray her here. (She only became the more cheerful girl that she is after Hinata inspired her the way Naruto inspired Neji, by showing that even “losers” can change. But Hinata in this story, well…) I hope more people grow to like her the way I do! Does the path she’s taken remind you of anyone…?


End file.
